For Our Dearest, Anything Is Done
by glasspass
Summary: In which Tsuna has a lot of love to give, but no one really notices it until he meets his soulmates. Rated M just in case of future chapters. All27
1. Chapter 1

When Sawada Tsunayoshi was little, he had often thought himself lucky.

In a world where meeting your soulmate was literally as easy as waiting for a timer to be zeroed, why shouldn't he? While most people only had one or two, he had twenty. It was shocking to everyone present at his birth, but Nana, of course, had been ecstatic and had burst into tears when she saw how many timers her baby had.

"He's special. I always knew my baby would be special."

Iemitsu, on the other hand, had been proud and crying. "He is going to be our perfect little baby boy," he'd said. "So much love to give, just like his mother."

And he had. So much love to give, that is. But the only problem was that not many people around him had picked up on that concept when he was growing up, and what a damn shame that was because they had all taken one look at his timers and immediately labelled him a freak, some even going as far as to call him a 'fluke', a mistake made in the mysterious structure called the gene pool.

"Look! It's Freaky-Tsuna!"

"I bet his mom's really ashamed of him."

"Hmph! I bet that he's just saying that he has more timers than us to gain attention! Who has twenty timers, anyway? What a fake."

"He's really…Dame-Tsuna."

So, Tsuna, who didn't really owe much to these people, had gained the belief that he was indeed a fluke, and the once prided timers he had was hidden away. In retrospect, no one had bothered to correct the poor boy (to tell him that as long as the numbers continued ticking, he was no fake) while Nana was as oblivious as ever.

"Don't worry, Tsu-kun! You just have to be patient."

"Oh, just have faith, won't you, Tsu-kun?"

And Iemitsu... he was never there anyway.

"Maybe his dad thought he was a freak, too."

"Even his dad doesn't want him... what a loser."

In truth, Tsuna had not wanted to pay attention to any of the rumours or nasty things said about him, but one can only hold out for so long before they become convinced of what people said of them. So, in the end, this fear and depression ate at him for years, and he'd never once dared to check underneath the armbands that covered his timers, in fear that he'd see timers that suddenly turned zero, confirming what other people had said about him all this time.

But that was until he'd reached middle school.

Tsuna didn't know what had come over him that morning, exactly, and what had prompted him, had pushed him, to gather the courage and finally peek into one of the armbands that had covered his timers for years now. But boy, was he glad he did.

Trying to describe what he'd felt the moment he saw his timers again was impossible, but Tsuna thinks it's a good feeling. However, it took him a few minutes to actually register that none of his timers had turned zero, which meant that he wasn't a fluke.

(Wasn't a failure)

And it took him a few more minutes to register that some of his timers had actually less than a few days' time before they turned zero. To the time for him to meet his soulmates. He didn't really know how he felt about that, but the emotions almost had sent him reeling to the bathroom floor. Resisting the urge to tear off the entire armband, he slowly shifted it downwards and tried to distract himself by taking the band off completely before really looking at the numerous timers that decorated his right arm.

Tsuna really didn't know how to feel when again, he realised that none of his timers had turned zero. He was floored, ecstatic, excited, and he wanted to vomit. But again, he thought that maybe, just maybe, this was a good thing to be feeling. Tsuna inspected them one by one and noted that again, most of them were almost down to a few weeks' time before they turned zero. The last one, however, made him freeze in his tracks. Truth be told, he didn't want to believe what he was seeing, what was there.

But Tsuna had less than three hours before meeting his first soulmate.

"Oh, fuck," he whispered.

So indeed, today was turning out to be quite an interesting day for Sawada Tsunayoshi.


	2. Chapter 2

To Tsuna, running to school was an everyday occurrence, but today was different.

Having been woken up early by the niggling in his mind to check his timers, he now had plenty of time before the school bell rang and signaled for the start of school. Of course, more time meant bathing and breakfast, which he usually missed in favour of dashing out the door to be on time for class when he was in elementary school.

'At least,' Tsuna thought weakly as he swayed and stumbled to the bathtub. 'I wouldn't be late for the first day of middle school.'

Still in a daze, Tsuna had proceeded to wash up and get dressed, but had messed up in buttoning up his uniform and had put on his tie crookedly. Of course, still facing what was probably the biggest moment of his life, he hadn't noticed.

 _(Looking back, Tsuna imagined himself to have looked very silly, but made excuses anyways.)_

The sound of footsteps thumping clumsily down the stairs alerted Nana, who was always up early to make breakfast, of someone coming down. She was confused at first, but when she saw her (cute) baby boy, Nana gave the biggest, most brightest smile she had and realized in the back of her mind that this was, probably, the first time her Tsu-kun had woken up early.

'He's usually so reluctant to get out of bed in the morning,' she thought as she hugged him and greeted him with an enthusiastic "Good morning, Tsu-kun!" With a mumbled respond, she watched as her son seated himself at the dining table, starting to eat the food she had prepared. Content, she turned away with a small smile on her face, she continued washing the dishes.

"Mom?"

"Hmm?"

Hesitance, before Tsuna continued speaking. "How…how did you feel when you met dad for the first time? When your timer stopped?"

Nana, having barely caught the question as it was so softly, and so delicately pronounced, like the words themselves were glass, had almost dropped the plate she was holding before spinning around so fast, Tsuna was worried she'd get whiplash, to face her son. Her eyes were wide, flashing with emotions, and it almost made Tsuna regret asking. Iemitsu was a sore subject for the both of them, after all.

But Nana, bless her soul, had set the plate down and wiped her hands down. "Tsu-kun," she breathed, and Tsuna, feeling dread pool in his gut for some reason, could see...hope(?) gleaming in her eyes. "Is...Are any of your timers..?"

Ah. He should have known.

Tsuna didn't even need to answer, for the blush that had bloomed and spread rapidly over his cheeks coupled with him ducking of his head to hide his eyes was a dead give-away, and Nana had immediately covered her mouth to muffle her squeal, eyes brimming with tears.

"Mom-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Nana had somehow appeared in front of him and enveloped him in a hug tight enough to squeeze the breath out of him, making him choke on his words. Tsuna briefly wondered if his mom was crying.

" _Oh my_ _ **God**_ _, Tsu-kun!"_ A watery hiccup was heard amidst the wheezing sounds Tsuna was making. 'Yup,' he thought, still wheezing while forcing strangled pleas for his mom to stop out of his mouth. 'Definitely crying.'

"Tsu-kun..Tsu-kun…Oh, my _dearest baby boy!_ " She sounded absolutely hysterical, but also happy, and Tsuna thinks he could understand, but if only she could just-

A gasp was released as Nana suddenly (and finally) let him go, and just as Tsuna was taking in much needed oxygen, he felt himself being pinched on the arm. _Painfully._

" _Ow!"_ Turning watery, bewildered eyes to his sobbing mother as he jerked away, he wondered if asking his mother was a good idea in the first place. "What was that for?"

" _Sawada Tsunayoshi that is about to meet his first soulmate,why didn't you tell me this yesterday?"_

"Wha-"

"It's your first soulmate!" Oh, dear. "You should've told me about this earlier so I could have prepared in advance! Oh, Tsu-kun-"

He didn't even stay to listen. Grabbing his toast, Tsuna took this chance to rush out the door along with his backpack and tried to block out the yell of _"Be nice to them, Tsu-kun!"_ from his mother. Once he was far enough from his house, he stopped and tried to stop his panting, feeling like he'd just ran a marathon.

"Oh my God," he wheezed, bending over while supporting himself with one hand on the bricked wall. "Today's just _not_ my day, is it?"


	3. Chapter 3

If Tsuna had known that reaching Namimori Middle early meant sitting in a hall full of half-asleep students while having to listen to the principal go on and on about the school's history, he would've slept in. Because what difference did it make when here he was, on the verge of falling asleep because of the boring speech the principal was giving despite the initial nerves he had of him meeting his soulmate in this school?

As a last ditch effort to keep himself from falling asleep, because he _really_ didn't want to miss meeting his supposed soulmate for the first time (was that even possible? He didn't know, and he didn't want to be the first person in the world who finds out), Tsuna peeked at the neat arrangement of numbers decorating his arm. More specifically, the last one.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 45 . 15_

Forty-five minutes left, and suddenly Tsuna felt really sick. With excitement and nervousness both battling a ferocious battle within his guts, he didn't think he could take it anymore. Taking deep breaths, he tried his best to soothe his nerves. The poor brunette, however, could only keep on wondering what his first soulmate would think of him.

Would they be happy with him? Content? Were they feeling excited, like how he was now? Oh, he hoped that person wasn't a mean one, like those bullies he had throughout elementary school. Of course, he should have known that this train of thought would have lead him nowhere good in the first place, because just then, a thought seized him, making fear course through his veins like liquid fire.

Because there was a possibility, wasn't there, that they would they be disgusted that it was him? What if they felt that he wasn't worth it? What if they had heard of all the nasty rumors surrounding him? And actually _believed_ them?

'Bad enough that I'm _the_ 'Dame-Tsuna' that will never amount to much,' Tsuna thought bitterly, once again covering up his timers. 'Though, I really hope that they haven't heard of me…I want to at least make a good first impression.'

But Tsuna knew that at this point, it was just wishful thinking. Nobody in that lives in Namimori couldn't possibly _not_ know about him. The brunette knew that the rumors in Namimori spread faster than any wild fire, and the people soaked up the news like a sponge, too. Sometimes, when Tsuna felt particularly narcissistic (which was almost never, except for a few, rare moments that never lasted long anyways), he would amuse himself with the thought of the news of his birth being spread and known throughout the town, and how the people would, and _have_ talked about the baby that was born with twenty timers.

'What a shame the baby turned out to be _me,_ though.'

As this bitter thought went through his mind, he noticed that the principal had finally reached the ending of his speech and had signaled for the students to rise and be on their way back to their classes. Standing up, Tsuna stretched a little, but was interrupted by a sudden shove from behind, making him collide into the chair in front of him, causing a ruckus that immediately turned heads.

"I think I jus' hit somethin', guys. Oh wait," A pause, then "It's just _Dame-Tsuna."_ Snickers and laughter were heard all around him, and Tsuna knew, at that moment, that this was going to be a very long, very bad day for him.

"Come on, guys," he pleaded, still on the ground, nursing his chin; which, of course, had been the first thing to hit the ground when he fell. "We're in middle school now. Don't you think that this is maybe a _little_ bit too immature?"

(If he was who he was a few hours ago, he would've slapped himself for saying such a bold thing, but who cares? Adrenaline can do things to you.)

At this, the bullies stopped laughing. Tsuna could have said that he regretted saying what he'd thought out loud, but he didn't, even when he saw the leader's (big, chunky and mean-looking) face turn beet red with anger and embarrassment at being chastised by _Dame-Tsuna,_ of all people, in front of everyone.

Stepping forward, the boy grabbed Tsuna's front and yanked him up from the ground, causing the small brunette to yelp in pain and surprise. Pulling the other closer to his face, the bully growled.

"Well, aren't 'cha one smart little fuck? Think you's funny, don't 'cha?" Releasing him, the bully aimed straight for his stomach and _kicked_ , sending the poor boy tumbling backwards, colliding into more metal chairs before hitting the ground, winded, and pretty sure that he was going to see some new bruises added to his already present collection.

"Dame-Tsuna's finally grew a pair for himself, huh?" He was being circled, and Tsuna, who barely had the energy to stand, thought that this scene looked familiar. "How's 'bout you tell us about them timers you and your momma's so proud of, huh?"

Ah, so that's what it was.

Tsuna knew what he was doing, what reaction the bully was trying to evoke from the crowd that had gathered. So many times, this was done, and yet it still had the same effect. People whispered and stared on in interest, but not once offering to help him. He was used to this. They were only in it to see for themselves, to satisfy their own curiosity. He knew this.

From the corner of his eye, he could see that even the teachers had walked away, pretending nothing was happening. Some just looked on, as if this was a game that was being played by the students. Turning his head away as the bullies yelled in agreement and proceeded to tear off the armbands that he had defended for years now, he didn't, _couldn't_ move, to continue defending himself. 'Let them see,' he thought. 'Maybe then they'll believe me, even though I know they won't.'

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 05_

No one would help him, and he wouldn't cry, nor make any sound to satisfy his bullies.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 03_

Trailing his eyes up the students that were almost clambering to see if the rumors were true, he thought about it. He was _used_ to this, damn it.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 01_

But oh, how he wishes that he didn't have to do this anymore. 'At least,' Tsuna thought, as he looked into wide, furious, dark brown eyes. 'Not alone.'

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00_

"I'd hate to disturb your _fun_ ," It's almost a snarl here, but the sheer amount of _fury and killer intent alone_ works just enough to freeze everyone in their tracks. "but would you guys mind getting off my soulmate? I'd really, really appreciate it if you do, thanks."


	4. Chapter 4

Tsuna had learned later on from the others about how close he was to actually breaking that day, and that apparently, it wasn't okay for him to put himself down like that. But that didn't mean he could just stop.

 _(Slivers of hopelessness slithering through his mind, poisoning him, choking him, imitating his classmates' cruel laughter-)_

Not anytime soon, anyways.

Of course, he had felt that he was so, so lucky that Yamamoto had been in the nick of time to save his ass.

/

 _It had been a long moment of silence before most of the first years recognized the boy who'd spoken as Yamamoto Takeshi, 'The Popular One' during their elementary school days. But before any of them could even_ _ **assume**_ _that it was a joke (because no way would Dame-Tsuna be their idol's soulmate), Yamamoto had spoken up again, voice cutting through the air like steel knives._

" _In case you didn't get the meaning behind my words, I want you assholes-" Here, he looked pointedly at the three bullies kneeling above Tsuna. "-_ _ **off**_ _my mate."_

 _They'd stared at him, and it wasn't long before chaos blew up and bewildered voices started to fill the air, throwing questions in the furious, dark-haired male's face, not aware of the dark look slowly taking over the other's face as he was ignored._

" _Don't kid around, Yamamoto!"_

" _Is this real? Quick, someone check Dame-Tsuna's-"_

" _Oh my God, look! One of his timers have-"_

" _But we can't be sure-"_

" _Dude,_ _ **move your ass and let me see-**_ _"_

" _ **LET ME THROUGH! DAME-TSUNA CAN'T BE SENPAI'S SOULMATE! HE'S TOO-**_ _"_

" _Oh good God, woman! Just shut your screeching-"_

 _Amidst all the whispers and yelling alike, they had all started to confuse Tsuna's already muddled mind, because_ _what._

 _His mate? As in soulmate?_

 _All he did was make eye contact with the guy, and somehow this meant that they were soulmates? Was that how it even worked? Really? Mind reeling, Tsuna felt as if he was really going to be sick at this point._

' _Isn't there supposed to be a spark or some bullshit like that? How does he know that it's me, anyways? I knew I should've-' Unfortunately, before he could finish his absent pondering, his head was suddenly pushed backwards by one of the squabbling teenagers, causing it to crack against the cement floor._

 _This was the part where he passes out, and notices something._

 _Interestingly, Yamamoto -Tsuna had subconsciously supposed that a smile would have suited the boy's face better, instead of that horrible, scary look – had turned a scary shade of black when he saw Tsuna being manhandled._

" _That's it, you're all dead."  
_

 _/_

Tsuna had woken up at home with a worried Nana by his side, fussing and pestering him with questions about how he was feeling and if he needed anything to soothe the nasty bump on his head. Reassuring her that he was fine and that he ' _didn't need anything, mom'_ took some time, but eventually the issue was left alone, much to Tsuna's relief.

"So," his mom started, seating herself on the floor of his room. "How did the meeting with your first soulmate go?"

Tsuna started at this, for he had completely forgotten about Yamamoto.

 _(Guilty, guilty)_

Ignoring the guilt that pooled in his stomach, he asked: "Mom, do you know who brought me back?"

Clearly not appreciating the fact that her question was being ignored, Nana pouted, but answered him anyways. "A young man named Yamamoto Takeshi, I believe."

Tsuna sighed. He knew it.

"He's Tsuyoshi's son, isn't he? Oh, and he was so polite, too! Why? Is he Tsu-kun's friend?"

Did she not know? Does she _actually not know?_ Tsuna stared. Really, he knew that his mom was oblivious most of the time, but to this extent? He really should be bracing himself, shouldn't he?

"Actually, mom, he's my soulmate."

Oh, absolutely.

Tsuna would have laughed at his mother's eyes widening in disbelief if he didn't knew that the action would probably cost him his life. Making fun of Nana was a big no-no, after all, and this was just the calm before the storm, too. Honestly, he didn't even know what made him blurt it out. Of all things, the truth had to come out, and literally set his ass on fire.

Great. Just _great_.

Of course, the moment he felt himself being grabbed _(how did she even get there so fast)_ , he knew he was _fucking screwed_. Doubly so, when Nana started to shake him and yell something along the lines of:

" _WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S YOUR SOULMATE TSU-KUN DO YOU REALIZE THAT I JUST MET HIM OH GOD I DIDN'T EVEN WELCOME HIM INTO THE HOUSE PROPERLY WHY DO YOU DO THIS WHY DID I DO THAT COULD YOU NOT HAVE PASSED OUT AFTER YOU BROUGHT HIM HOME "_

Tsuna, having never seen his mother react so strongly before, was frightened. He really, honest to God thought that this whole soulmate stuff was played to be more trouble than it was worth.

/

Once again, having to placate his mom took up almost the entire day, and Tsuna had vowed to himself to never do that again. Really, just looking at the finger-nail marks he had on his forearms made him shiver.

"Mom, I'm going out now!"

"Remember to tell him I said 'hello', okay?"

Letting out a noise of confirmation, he closed the front door and went on his way. Before calming his mom down, he'd managed to find out that apparently Yamamoto Takeshi was Yamamoto Tsuyoshi's son, the owner of the infamous sushi shop named 'Takesushi'. Getting the location of the out of his mom was no easy work, and it came with some consequences (i.e: he had to tell his mom whenever his timer was about to be zeroed one day early from then on), but Tsuna thinks that it may be worth it.

 _(And it wasn't because Yamamoto had defended him, absolutely not. And what's wrong with thanking him? Nothing, that's what.)_

Of course, now that he has a second chance to give that 'good impression' (even though he suspects that it's already ruined for him), Tsuna is willing to try again. And he'd learnt earlier on in school that imagining scenarios and trying to prepare beforehand wouldn't help out in the real world, anyways.

Not when it's so unpredictable, so why not just go with it?

'Besides,' Tsuna thinks, as he rounds the corner and comes to a stop in front of his intended destination. 'There is no way I'm letting this chance go. Not when I finally have the chance to be happy.'

Sliding open the door, Tsuna realized maybe a little too late, that he was nervous. Too nervous. His hands were sweaty and he thought, in the back of his mind, that maybe Yamamoto wouldn't want to hold hands with a guy that sweats so easily.

'C'mon, Tsuna, _Concentrate.'_ Berating himself, he looked around, trying to spot the face he'd seen in school. Seeing no one that was familiar to him, however, made him lose a little hope. Not wanting to give up, he walked up to the counter where an old man who looked like he was in his mid-forties stood, slicing up a whole tuna with an air of professionalism.

"Ex-excuse me, sir."

Hearing him, the man stopped working and looked up, giving Tsuna the biggest, most easy-going smile he'd ever seen on a person's face. Tsuna wonders why it looks so familiar.

"Why, hello there! Are you going to order?"

Shaking his head, Tsuna realizes that this may be Takeshi's father. "No, I'm not, sir. But can you tell me if Yamamoto Takeshi is in? I have to speak to him."

Raising an eyebrow, the man smiles again, but this time, Tsuna notices that it's a little bit more...colder. "Oh? And who might you be, young man?" He picks up one of the many knives he has laid on the counter, and Tsuna is frightened and confused. Is the man threatening him? Why? "One of his teammates? Coming to call him to practice-"

"I'm sorry, sir, but that's not the case." Tsuna interrupts him before the man goes any further, because he really doesn't want to find out what's got the man so cheesed off. "My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi and...and I'm his soulmate."

/

Tsuna thinks that this may be a record for him, rendering so many people speechless in one day. After announcing that he was Yamamoto Takeshi's soulmate, the entire restaurant had seemed to go quiet, unnerving Tsuna greatly, before picking up it's usual chatter. The man, Takeshi's father, apparently, had stared at Tsuna for what seemed like an eternity before breaking out into a bright smile again, the coldness gone this time, and somehow much, much more friendlier.

"Well, why didn't you say so then?" Putting the knife down (much to Tsuna's relief), he pressed a button on the counter before looking back to his son's other half. "My, my, my! Looks like my son has gotten himself quite a catch here!"

Boisterous laughter was heard throughout the restaurant, and Tsuna felt himself relax as the sudden tension in the air seemed to go out. But then he remembers what he was there for.

Just as he was about to ask again, they hear footsteps thumping down the stairs in the kitchen behind Tsuyoshi, as if the person was in a rush. Tsuna barely had time to prepare himself before the curtains blocking the view to the restaurant's kitchen opened and revealed one Yamamoto Takeshi.

"Yeah, Dad? What did you- Oh."

Judging by the suprised (and very pleased) look on Yamamoto's face, Tsuna thinks that maybe Takeshi wasn't prepared either, but he was fine with that.

* * *

Author's Note : Late is late, and I'm sorry. But very special thanks to the bae, Socialist Axolotl, for helping me out of my block (thanks bae u da real MVP). And to the people who left reviews on their way out. you guys really motivated me to write, so thank you too :D *blows kisses*


	5. Chapter 5

Getting Yamamoto to step out of the shop with him was easy, but also a little embarrassing. With practically the whole restaurant watching, it was a miracle that Tsuna managed _not_ to trip over his feet while walking, let alone his words. The thumbs-up Tsuyoshi gave his son when they were on their way out wasn't any help, either.

"So, where do you want to go?"

Now, here's the part where everything gets a little more interesting for Tsuna.

It was sudden, but upon hearing Yamamoto's voice, every nerve underneath Tsuna's skin had become hyper sensitive, making him feel as if his skin were prickling and whereas it was nearly sun-down, Tsuna felt as if he was _burning_.

"Uh-" Hearing his voice crack at the end, he'd damn near slapped himself because _what the fuck is up with him and are you serious Sawada Tsunayoshi you barely know the guy_ _ **control yourself damn it**_.

Clearing his throat, he tried again.

"W-why don't we go to the park? It's nearly dark out, but it's not too far away from here. Y-you would be able to reach home without much trouble, too." Good, that was good. Not too far away, and not too close to home where he thinks he might give off the wrong impression, too.

His ears prick up as Yamamoto made a humming noise before agreeing, causing him to breathe a small sigh of relief. Of course, Tsuna doesn't look at Yamamoto at all while walking to their destination, somehow feeling that if he did, he wouldn't be able to take… _whatever_ it was between them.

'But still,' he thought, kicking a pebble along the way. 'It'd be nice if things weren't so awkward.'

Maybe, but that's what he thinks.

/

Yamamoto Takeshi observes the boy in front of him the entire way to the park, and eventually, he comes to a conclusion. Of that being Sawada Tsunayoshi is undoubtedly (and officially) the cutest, clumsiest, and most easily flustered person he's ever had the pleasure of meeting.

The fluffy hair and the fact that the boy was his soulmate was a (much appreciated) bonus, too.

Looking at the boy's stature (everything about him screamed small, fragile, weak), however, he couldn't help but wonder how he'd managed to survive elementary school because he _knows_ that the other kids can be cruel and he _knows_ that kids like that would have torn kids like Sawada Tsunayoshi apart a long, long time ago.

 _(He tries his best to ignore the jeers and taunts of his classmates as they tease and bully another student, pretending that it isn't happening, pretending that the cries for help from the bullied student was mere background noise, pretending that everything was perfect and just peachy-)_

 _(It's not.)_

But here he was, walking right in front of him, posture a little bit slouched, but still going. And while his classmates say that Yamamoto is at most times blind to the most obvious of things, he notices the cracked and jagged edges of someone who has fought to stay alive and bounce back every time his peers throw shit at him, but has barely made it. He notices the signs of someone who is weak but strong at the same time, and on the other hand walking a very fine line between falling off the edge and clinging on to whatever good that is left in his mind.

And he thinks that he might just come to admire Sawada's sheer tenacity, if nothing else.

 _(Yamamoto watches as golden brown eyes meet his, and he thinks it's a trick of the light because they're such a beautiful colour and no one is allowed to have such beautiful eyes- but what's this? The light is almost gone and suddenly, Yamamoto feels a surge of panic welling up inside of him. He has to stop them from making that light disappear or else-)_

 _(00 . 00 . 00 . 00 .00 . 00 . 00)_

This is when it hits him and Yamamoto wants to pick the other boy up and hug him, comfort him but he doesn't know if Sawada will appreciate that. Yamamoto also realizes that night that, compared to everyone else, he was no better than the bullies that had picked on Sawada that morning, but he'd do all he can from then on to rectify this mistake.

 _(Beating everyone in that hall up might've been a good start in the process of protecting what was his, anyways.)_

 _/_

The swings had seemed like an appropriate place to just sit down and have a talk, no matter how clichéd it was. So, sitting down on one of the swings, Tsuna began to rock and sway slightly, trying to re-organize his thoughts before all the heavy stuff came into subject.

Absentmindedly, he noted that Yamamoto hadn't taken the swing next to him, but that was fine, he guessed.

…

Did he mention that he was horrible at starting conversations?

"So, Yamamoto-san-"

"Oh, just call me Yamamoto. 'Yamamoto-san' is my dad, you see, and it makes me feel so old, haha."

…Well, that certainly threw him off track. But if this is where they were, Tsuna thinks he could play along.

"Well, if I'm going to have to call you Yamamoto, then you can just call me 'Tsuna', okay?"

"Deal," Taking a seat next to Tsuna on the swings, Yamamoto continues. "So, Tsuna. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you're here to establish our relationship, am I right?"

A nod, and he continues.

"If so, then would you mind telling me what _you_ would like us to be? I mean, it's already a given that we are soulmates, but I wouldn't mind hearing what you have to say about this."

Here, Tsuna suddenly casts his eyes downwards and gains a pained look (Yamamoto immediately lists that expression as something that is never to be donned by the other boy again). Taking a deep breath, he says the words that Yamamoto suspects he's been dying to say since day one.

"Actually, I-I really don't know, Yamamoto. Because on one hand, I would love to give this a shot and find out where this leads but on the other hand, surely you must know of the all rumors and gossip surrounding me. While I am not so sure myself of how I could possibly get _twenty_ timers, I do know that today _, one_ of them came through and here I am, sitting on this swing, talking to you. My supposed soulmate."

"But that doesn't mean I want to burden you with whatever future decisions you might have to make because of me and those nineteen other timers. You might have to share me, you might not (because keep in mind that I _may_ be a fluke), and if you are unable to share me with possibly _nineteen_ others…"

They're both silent here, with Yamamoto donning a serious expression that Tsuna thinks is too unsuitable for him.

"I don't want to have to make a choice between anyone, Yamamoto. So please," he's borderline begging at this point, but he doesn't care. "tell _me_ what _you_ want."

Silence reigned for a while, with the tension so thick one could slice it with a knife. Just as Tsuna begins to lose hope, however, Yamamoto is moving.

Tsuna is startled when his arms are grabbed, and even more so when Yamamoto tears off his armbands (new ones, goddamit), revealing inked skin that represented their owner's fate. He's more confused than ever when Yamamoto rolls back his own sleeve, revealing his own zeroed timer.

"Yamamoto-"

"Tsuna," he says, interrupting him. "Look at this."

And he does, because _he is just so confused, and if Yamamoto thinks that this is a joke-_

"What do you see, Tsuna?"

"…I see our timers."

"And?" Yamamoto prompted, looking surprisingly patient.

"And…and they've been zeroed? I don't get it, Yamamoto-"

"Tsuna, look at me. Look at me and listen well, because I don't want you to have to _**ever**_ say that you are a burden to _anyone_ again. Not even me." Slowly, Tsuna nods, and while he doesn't understand what Yamamoto is doing, he trusts him. Somehow.

So once again, Yamamoto points to the timers on both their hands, and Tsuna can't help but think that compared to Yamamoto's arm, his' is like a tattooed plate, while Yamamoto's is a clean slate.

"Tsuna," he starts, and Tsuna can't help but listen, spell-bound by the amount of affection behind that voice. "You look at these timers and think that you are a fluke because everyone _else_ said so, not because you _are_ one. There's a difference in actually being a fluke and deceiving yourself into actually believing that you _are_ one when you're _not. And you're not."_

"You're being needlessly insecure about this and while your situation is vastly different from mine, and you're in a position I could never hope to experience, I can safely tell you that you are not a fluke _because_ _ **I am here, Tsuna**_." Looking at Yamamoto, Tsuna could feel his breath being caught in his throat and tears welling up in his eyes because _no one has ever said anything like that to him before._ Not even Nana. And he wasn't even done yet.

Not even close.

"Is it not enough proof for you, these zeroed timers on both our hands, that the both of us, we exist _now_? Is it not enough proof that right now, you're here listening while I'm talking to you? Those nineteen other timers you have, do you not believe that they are people _just waiting for you with the same numbers etched into their skin?_ You wouldn't even need to worry about me sharing you with the others because the way I see it, you just have a lot of love to give, Tsuna, and I _**get it**_."

By now, Tsuna is a mess, and it doesn't take much longer before Yamamoto envelopes him in a hug, causing him to sob even more because _he deserves this God damn it._

Burying his face in Tsuna's hair, Yamamoto hugs the other boy tighter, as if to shield him from the outside world that has already dealt him more harm than good, feeling as if there's been an invisible weight lifted from both their shoulders. In a softer voice, but with as much conviction as before, Yamamoto tries once more to soothe his other half.

"This can't be just some mere coincidence, either, Tsuna, because then I would _know_ , and I _know this isn't it."_

' _I won't let it.'_

* * *

I absolutely loved your reviews. Thanks so much, guys! :D


	6. Chapter 6

When Tsuna had woken up the next morning, he'd felt refreshed, like a huge burden had been lifted off his chest. That being the first time in many years before he'd felt that way, it had taken him a moment to register such a foreign feeling before finally getting out of bed with a smile.

For Tsuna, taking a shower wasn't that long, but as he stood underneath the showerhead, looking at his tattooed arms, he couldn't help but stare at each and every one of them, trying to remind himself how much time he had left before…

Before his next soulmate.

'Though, it's soul- _mates_ in this case,' Tsuna thought wryly, turning his right arm slightly to focus on the numbers present on two of his many timers.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 01 . 30 . 18_

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 02 .02 . 02_

'I'll never really get used to this, will I?' he thinks with a small sigh.

But looking at Takeshi's zeroed timer, he couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips and the softening of his body muscles. Tsuna thinks, as he turns the water off and steps out of the shower to dry himself off, that if he were to feel this way with each of his soulmates, then he wouldn't really mind.

 _/_

"Oh! Good morning, Tsu-kun! You're up early again today, aren't you? Would you like some bacon?"

Nodding, Tsuna took a seat at the dining table before muttering his thanks and proceeding to dig into the breakfast already prepared by Nana. Listening to his mother's humming in the morning with the sounds of bacon sizzling in the background was therapeutic and was supposed to be calming, but the small niggling in the back of his mind was back and Tsuna was really starting to wonder what the _fuck_ it was.

"So, Tsu-kun, do you have anything new to tell me?"

Stopping mid-chew, Tsuna looked up, wondering if Nana could suddenly read minds because it's as if he hasn't freaked out enough the night before already. Shouldn't _he_ be the one being nervous anyways? They were _his_ soulmates after all. But hearing his mother's question made him remember the promise he'd made her, and although he really didn't want to, it was still a promise, wasn't it?

Oh, how he hated this.

Swallowing the mushy mess in his mouth, Tsuna sighed and moved to remove his armbands. The sound of Velcro being ripped had Nana turning around in surprise, not expecting her Tsu-kun to actually _show_ her because…

Well, that didn't matter now.

"Mom," he was hesitant, but he'd extended his arm, showing his mother the numbers engraved onto his arm since birth. "I missed this yesterday, but…"

"But apparently I have a meeting with two of my soulmates today."

If Tsuna had been hoping to walk out of his household with little to no changes made to him, he would have been horribly disappointed.

/

"Well, you look different today."

"Thanks, I was hoping you'd notice. If you're curious, it's the newest trend my mom calls 'impressing your soulmate'."

Tsuna's sarcastic and deadpanned tone that betrayed his usual timid and soft voice caused Yamamoto to pause in his walking for a moment in surprise before bursting out in a laughing fit.

"So glad to know that you're on my side, Yamamoto," Tsuna continued, still deadpanning. "Really, it means a lot to me." Even so, anyone could see the slight tilt of Tsuna's mouth that appeared when his black-haired companion laughed louder.

And Tsuna couldn't really blame Yamamoto from commenting, anyways.

Upon announcing the possible appearance of his two soulmates, his mother had taken it upon herself to give her son a makeover which consisted of her trying to slick back his mess of a hair (but failing miserably), powdering his face, adjusting and ironing his uniform hundreds of times over before Tsuna (desperately) announced that he was going to be late for school and that 'Yamamoto is probably already outside waiting for me, mom!'

Sighing, Tsuna wondered why his mom was such a ditz on some occasions but when it came down to his soulmates, she was as strict as they came.

' _Not true, though,'_ said the small voice in the back of his mind suddenly. _'She didn't notice when everyone else was-'_

"So Tsuna, how're you feeling?"

Startled, Tsuna jumped back a little at being jolted out of his _(dangerous, dangerous)_ musings before registering Yamamoto's question. "Oh," he said dumbly. Ignoring the slightly concerned look on his companion's face, he continued.

"I-I'm better today, I guess. Could barely go to sleep last night, though."

Yamamoto hummed in understanding, before reaching out to put his arm over Tsuna's _(too thin, fragile)_ shoulders, surprising the other again.

"Well, all we can do is to hope for the best now, can't we? No point being frazzled by this."

"Besides," he added. "Didn't you hear what I told you yesterday night? Everything's gonna be fine." Feeling Tsuna relax under his touch and his words made Yamamoto smile happily, glad that he was able to calm the other down.

"I hope so, Yamamoto," Tsuna mumbled, ducking his head to peer at the timers underneath his armbands.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 20 . 42_

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 01 . 37 . 40_

"I really do."

 _/_

 _Going home after that had come with a pleasant surprise as Yamamoto had offered to walk him home, but with Tsuna still being Tsuna, he'd tried to decline._

 _Key word being: tried._

 _Because one look at Yamamoto's face and he knew that the other boy wouldn't be taking a 'no' as an answer. Still, he'd insisted, ignoring the small voice in his head that begged him to accept Yamamoto's offer, because he wouldn't be Tsuna if he didn't think of others before him. Of course, Yamamoto wouldn't be Yamamoto if he had just let Tsuna go like that, without being just as selfish and putting up a fight first._

" _It's alright, Yamamoto," he'd said. "You've already done so much for me today and I don't want to keep you any longer."_

" _It's no trouble," Yamamoto had said. "It would be nicer for me if you'd let me walk you home, though."_

 _Tsuna protested again. "But it's already dark out and it might be dangerous on your way home and-"_

" _And that's exactly why I have to walk you back home," he'd countered smoothly. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt now-"_

" _I'm not a girl," Tsuna protested, nose scrunching up slightly._

" _Never said you were," Yamamoto defended, shrugging. "And girls can take care of themselves, too, but it's just that I really don't want you getting hurt. Is that so wrong?"_

" _It's not, but-"_

" _Then just let me walk you home, Tsuna."_

" _I-"_

" _ **Good fuckin' God, just let him walk you home already! I need to fucking sleep and I have no time for this drama!"**_

 _Startled (and scared shitless, in Tsuna's case), they looked up to the direction of which the voice had come from and was just in time to see a window being slammed shut and the curtains being drawn._

 _They were both silent, before Yamamoto grinned and turned back to Tsuna, eyes confident. "Well, there's your answer."_

 _Before Tsuna could even let out a sound of protest, he found himself being dragged down the road to his house. Pouting, he let himself be dragged and thinks that if only he were a little bit bigger and tougher…_

" _Say, Tsuna," he heard Yamamoto say._

" _What is it, you cheater."_

" _Cheater?" Yamamoto arched a brow here, clearly amused at the sudden change in personality compared to just now. Opening his mouth, he looked as if he were about to comment on it, but shook his head as he remembered what he was about to say._

" _Never mind. Anyways, Tsuna, how do you think your meeting with your other two soulmates will go tomorrow?"_

" _Huh?"_

" _You know, those two timers on your right arm?" He didn't notice the widening of eyes as he continued. "The ones that are close to being-"_

" _Wait, wait, wait! You mean that there are_ _ **two**_ _timers being counted down right now?" Facing the brunette, Yamamoto tilted his head a little, looking confused. He didn't understand as to why the other boy looked so jittery all of a sudden. He was sure that he saw two timers when he's ripped the armbands off…_

 _Oh._

" _Oh." He'd said. "You didn't know, did you?"_

 _Tsuna guessed that he was lucky that Yamamoto had been there to ground him because he was pretty sure that he would have passed out from shock then._

 _/_

Really, Tsuna didn't know what he'd expected.

When the duo had reached school, Tsuna was able to sense the difference in the air immediately. He didn't know exactly what it was, but it had Yamamoto's back straightening and his arm around him tightening, smile becoming strained.

Looking around, Tsuna noticed that none of the students had dared to look them (him) in the eye, and instead had ducked their heads fearfully and immediately ran in the opposite direction of which they came.

The air was completely different, alright, and when Tsuna had noticed the bandages the students wore, it puzzled and scared the boy even more. While he was wondering what happened to cause such a change, Yamamoto's hold on him had tightened even further by the minute, eventually causing Tsuna to wince and snap out of his confused musings.

"Say, Yamamoto…"

"Hmm?" It sounded distracted.

"Did you… did you do that to them?"

Yamamoto had looked surprised at his question before suddenly going silent, the smile on his face even more strained. "No," he'd answered simply. "Not the worst of them, anyways."

Tsuna had looked horrified at the notion Yamamoto had beaten the other students up in his stead, and was about to berate the other when Yamamoto suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, could you check both of your two timers real quick?"

"Wha-?"

"Please, Tsuna. I think I know who your next soulmate might be."

Staring at him in disbelief, Tsuna thought of what a _twist_ this was. And really, what's got him so tensed up? Was his next soulmate really _that bad?_ How did Yamamoto know who was going to show up, anyways? Was he another popular student?

"Tsuna."

Quickly complying, he tore off the armband on his right arm and inspected the numbers.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 08_

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 40 . 18_

'Well,' Tsuna thought as his heart rate picked up rapidly at seeing the numbers. 'Now I know what a heart attack feels like.'

"Yamamoto-"

"Yeah, I saw. Tsuna, let's continue walking, shall we?"

Looking around nervously while Yamamoto stared straight ahead, Tsuna tried to distract himself. "Say, Yamamoto, would you tell me who beat up the students?"

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 06_

The niggling in the back of his head was back, but this time, it was _buzzing_.

Why did he get the feeling that this was a bad conversation topic?

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 05_

"Maybe later, Tsuna."

And very suddenly, Tsuna remembers a rumor that is very often passed around Namimori.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 04_

Something about a _'demon prefect'_.

It didn't make sense at the time, but he remembers the adults and students alike talking in hushed whispers about the supposed 'demon'.

How he practically _lives_ in Namimori Middle.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 03_

"Why? Does it have something to do with the soulmate this time? Is that why you asked me to check my timers?"

Tsuna has heard his name before, hasn't he?

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 02_

Oh, he has.

And he already _knows_ the answer, doesn't he?

"Tsuna, I _can't-"_

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 01_

" _It's Hibari Kyoya, isn't it?"_

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00_

"Very observant, herbivore," said a deep voice from behind them, making the two jerk and come to a stop.

Tsuna is the first to turn, and he doesn't know what he's expecting, but it was definitely not sharp, curious grey eyes that looked like they were about to cut through steel and… _steel tonfas?_

Tsuna winces and thinks that he could literally feel the pain that they've inflicted on others.

"And I would presume that you are Sawada Tsunayoshi, the herbivore that caused such a ruckus in _my_ school yesterday and is supposedly," Here, his eyes flicker down to his right wrist before looking back at the two. "…my soulmate."

Tsuna gulps as Yamamoto not-so-subtly tries to shield him from the tonfa-wielding prefect, before nodding and ignoring the rush of blood between his ears and his heartbeat kicking up a whole notch, he speaks up, surprising all three of them _(though Hibari didn't let it show, but the slight arch of his brow was as clear as day)._

"Tha-that's me. Though it wasn't me that caused the mess you talked about, I still apologize for all the trouble you must have gone through."

Tsuna then bows at a perfect 90 degree angle, stiff as a board but somehow, he doesn't shake under the burning stare Hibari is giving him.

It's silent, with the air still tense, but Yamamoto thinks that at least _some_ of the tension has dissipated.

"Herbivores," they hear him say suddenly. "Follow me, and don't you dare fall behind."

The crunching of gravel, and Tsuna looks up to see Hibari walking away. Turning to Yamamoto, he can only imagine the type of face he's wearing, but Yamamoto is giving him a wide smile that isn't as strained as the one before, and he says "You did it, Tsuna."

He doesn't know _what_ he did, but Tsuna thinks, with his heart still beating against his ribcage, threatening to burst out, that he's just signed away his peaceful life.

 _Forever._

* * *

 _A/N : I am so sorry for being late but real life sucks when there are exams due in one week's time and you're struggling between homework, writing, and actual studying. But hey! The reviews really helped me and tbh i felt so excited when i read them lol_

 _Again, thank you for your support and the reviews! *blows kisses*_


	7. Chapter 7

Hibari has never believed in soulmates.

In fact, such a concept was deemed so herbivorous to him that he had lashed out at anyone who dared to speak of such subjects in his presence, be it the children, adults or his own men. To him, it was a 'why-should-I-believe-such-nonsense-and-follow-such-ridiculous-social-norms' situation despite the evidence practically parading in front of his eyes, as childish as it was.

It had gotten to such a point where his own family had once tried to interfere and sit their future heir down to explain what little known mechanics of such a complicated and mysterious system. Of course, that had resulted in complete and utter failure and had about 48 men turning in their resignation letters the very next day to the family.

Simply put, _none_ of them could persuade their Young Master without fucking up and having their lives almost forfeited, so eventually, even the great Hibari Household had to give up. They simply couldn't get him to believe that he had someone waiting for him, and how sad was that?

However, that didn't mean Hibari didn't believe in _mates._

 _(Which he refused to accept the term meaning the same thing as 'soulmates' but at that point, no one really wanted to argue lest they be bitten to death for REAL.)_

When he was younger, he would look down at his timer that was ticking merrily away, and wonder what kind of mate he would have. Surely, they should be strong if they were mated with _him_ of all people. Then again, what if they weren't?

And then, being the impulsive brat that he was, Hibari, age eight, had declared to the entire Hibari Household that he wouldn't mate with anyone that he deemed a herbivore and would instead 'bite them to death' for wasting his time. Of course, they had agreed, and Hibari continued believing that he would end up biting the unfortunate soul that was tied to him to death.

That was, of course, until he met Sawada Tsunayoshi, his actual soulmate.

/

Tsuna was sure that he was hyperventilating.

Because why else would he be so dizzy, breath coming in short, his heartbeat thumping to the rhythm of a drum being played, and himself almost tripping over his own two feet every two steps if it wasn't for Yamamoto, bless his soul, holding him up?

"Tsuna," he hears Yamamoto say to him softly. "Calm _down_. It's okay. He won't do anything."

Tsuna wants to laugh. 'Calm down', he says! Well, that was currently impossible for him so bring in the next task, please. And it wasn't even because he was worried _Hibari_ would do something that he was so nervous (although a tiny bit of fear was present because he'd be an idiot to _not_ worry). Rather, he was worried that _he_ would be the one to do something silly and mess up like usual.

Oh, he did contemplate running away, but then he had remembered that he has the gracefulness and exact amount of the athletic ability of a three–legged hippo. And didn't running away from his own _soulmate_ count as messing up anyways? Not very impressive at all, was it? So, Tsuna tries his best to calm down instead.

"Where do you think he's taking us?"

Yamamoto shrugs, and gives Tsuna a big smile that Tsuna thinks is supposed to boost his confidence, but ends up unnerving him instead. "I don't know, but Hibari-senpai sure is good at piling up the suspense that it's almost fun."

"Fun." He deadpans, silently praying that Yamamoto is joking.

He is disappointed.

"Yeah, fun. Don't you think so too, Tsuna? It's like he's playing a game with us."

They round the corner and Tsuna is silent, wondering if it's too late to run. At least his breathing was back to normal now.

/

They follow Hibari until they reach a deserted hallway on the third floor, to which Tsuna was half grateful for and half worried as to _why_ it was deserted in the first place. He wants to question Yamamoto, but as they step into the Reception Room that was dubbed as Namimori's Demon Prefect's office, he gets the feeling that he would soon find the answers to his questions.

As Hibari (Tsuna **still** couldn't believe that the prefect was his soulmate) took a seat behind the humongous desk that was neatly laden with stacks of paperwork, Tsuna took that chance to look around while Yamamoto whistled at the luxuries the prefect seemed to have access to.

The space wasn't small, and Tsuna thinks that the office could easily match up to be the size of his living room, except that he didn't have two sofas and bookcases filled with all kinds of documents and files lining up against the wall. And was that blood on the carpet?

"Herbivores," they hear him say, and they snap to attention. "Sit down. We have much to discuss."

Sharing a look, Yamamoto is the first to move towards one of the couches, with Tsuna trailing behind. To be honest, he was still uncertain as to what the prefect's intention was towards him and his mate, but let it be known that if provoked, Yamamoto Takeshi wasn't one to back down from a fight. No matter who it was.

"I have heard rumors about you, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Now wasn't _that_ a good way to start?

"Rumors that say that you have more than one timer-more than **one** mate." Hibari moves then, and the whole room is tense with anticipation and high-strung nerves, but the prefect only moves to sit on the couch opposite them and regards Tsuna with a cool look, completely ignoring the other.

"But that doesn't concern me," he continues, and Tsuna feels hope seep into him because maybe this wouldn't turn out so bad after all. Maybe all the rumors regarding the prefect was wrong and he was just misunderstood, like him.

"What concerns me is the question of whether you are strong… or not."

'Yeah, no. Not a chance.'

Tsuna desperately wants to face-palm at this point, and also cry because _what the fuck the rumors were true he's a battle-loving maniac with only incstincts to guide and now he probably wants me to fight him._ He then wonders if his life just a big joke for the Gods to laugh at, and if it was he wonders of what deeds he must have done in his past life to piss them off so badly it warrants this kind of punishment.

Shifting nervously under the tense silence and the sharp, expectant gaze Hibari was giving him, Tsuna unconsciously seeks out Yamamoto's hand, to which the latter happily complied. "Actually, Hibari-san," he starts, trying his best to look the prefect in the eye. "I-I'm not strong at all but I am hoping that you would-"

 _("I would rather bite that useless herbivore to death. I will not stand to have a weakling as my mate, for having them trying to restrain me would be annoying.")_

"Then you are of no use to me, are you? Get out of my office, herbivores, and get back to your own classes." he orders, clicking his tongue slightly in disappointment. Standing up, he headed towards his desk without sparing a glance more in a frozen Tsuna and an enraged Yamamoto's direction. "Lest I bite you to death for wasting my time, I suggest that you had better start moving _. Now."_

 _Now just a_ _ **fucking**_ _minute._

 _("Ah, but what will you do if that person is not a herbivore, but nor are they a carnivore either, Kyo-kun?" A small, child-like version of Hibari Kyoya frowned. "What do you mean by that? And don't call me that.")_

"That's not fair," Tsuna announces suddenly, surprising himself (and the others in the room) once again that day. Really, why does he feel so calm now? Was it the adrenaline again? Was he secretly a masochist by getting high off of being threatened?

God, he hoped not.

 _("It means that your soulmate might be an ominivore, Kyo-kun." The child twitches here, but it goes ignored. "A carnivore disguised as a herbivore, if you will." The person then smiles a small, mysterious smile, before letting the young child process his explanation.)_

"Oh?" Hibari turns, eyes narrowing at the sudden show of stubbornness being displayed by the previously meek, little brunette. "And what makes you think that I care about something being fair in the first place?"

"You have to," Tsuna insisted, grateful for the small squeeze of encouragement Yamamoto gave him via his hand. "You're a _prefect_."

 _("So it's like a predator in disguise? Why would a carnivore want to do that?" The person shrugs. "I don't know. It's just the natural order of things where one would use a weaker shell to trick his enemies into being easier prey.")_

"I do whatever I want to, herbivore. Now get back to class-"

Yamamoto is the one who speaks up this time. "You can't just dismiss someone just because of their fighting skills, Hibari-san. That's really not fair." They're both standing now, as well.

A silvery glint, and tonfas have suddenly appeared in the prefect's hands.

"I really do hate repeating myself," he says.

And he rushes forwards.

 _("So, Kyo-kun. What would you do?")_

Just as he was about to land a hit on a wide-eyed Yamamoto, his eyes caught a flash of gold-and suddenly all Hibari feels is the excruciating pain travelling up his left arm, signaling that it was _somehow,_ _ **broken.**_

" _Holy fuck-"_

 _(A feral grin suddenly appeared on the child's face, making the other shiver slightly. "Me?" the child asks, eyes glinting, as if he's just found a new toy to play with. "If I were to meet such an interesting creature?")_

It all happened so fast.

Too fast, for all they could do was stare as Hibari fell to the ground in shock, cradling his broken arm in a feral position while his tonfas dropped and clattered noisily against the ground instead of smashing the baseball star's face in, as originally intended. When asked later on, they also weren't able to be sure as to who was it that moved first; Yamamoto or Tsunayoshi, to help the fallen prefect.

But one thing was crystal clear between the three of them, though.

That being Sawada Tsunayoshi, aged fifteen, and known as the infamous _'Dame-Tsuna'_ of Namimori Middle, had somehow managed to _**accidentally break**_ _Hibari Kyoya's arm._

 _("I would force that little animal out of its shell and_ _ **keep it.**_ _")_

 _/_

"Oh my God."

"Tsuna-"

" _Oh, my God, Yamamoto, I've killed him."_

"Tsuna, _wait-"_

" _ **Oh, my fucking God WHAT WILL MY MOTHER SAY-**_ _"_

" _Tsuna!"_

" _ **WHAT?**_ _"_

"You need to _calm down_ _,_ okay? Besides, you didn't _kill_ him. You just _**crippled**_ him."

" _ **HOW DOES THAT MAKE ANYTHING BETTER?**_ _"_

"There's a difference between a broken arm and a loss of life, okay? And how did you do that anyways? I didn't know you could fight."

" _ **WERE YOU NOT LISTENING I ALREADY SAID I COULDN'T AND I DON'T**_ _ **KNOW**_ _ **HOW I DID IT MY HAND JUST MOVED ON ITS OWN AND-OH MY GOD YAMAMOTO I'M GOING TO DIE MY MOM IS GOING TO KILL ME FOR CRIPPLING MY OWN SOULMATE ON THE FIRST FUCKING MEETING-**_ _"_

"Well, at least now you know how your second date could go."

" _ **YamamOTO I SWEAR TO GOD-"**_

* * *

A/N: I'm really, really, really 100% sorry, but late is late. I tried to find as much time as possible to write this but between cramming for exams and tuitions and schoolwork... well it's been a pretty stressful week. (so if it's a shitty chapter with not much content except for idiotic feels and mindless ramblings pls forgive me its 3.30a.m.)

 _ **BUT,**_

I read all the reviews and as usual, I loved them. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read and review, guys. You're the best and I love you guys too :D The motivation really helped with my block, too.

P.s : this is probably the only chapter i will be able to upload for the whole week so see you guys next Saturday, okay?

Have a nice day/night!


	8. Chapter 8

There was no denying that Yamamoto Takeshi was a very, very laid back person. The reason being that when he was younger, he'd found that if he were to keep smiling no matter what and just wait for whatever rhetorical storm to pass over, things would turn out just fine.

 _("Remember to always smile, Takeshi," his mom had said, her voice so feeble, so very, very fragile. "Because Takeshi's smiles are the best, Papa and I would be so lost without it.")_

Well, not always, because there would always be those situations where no matter how long you wait, there was no solving it until someone did _something_. But Yamamoto was a very patient man. He'd wait anything out just because.

Of course, being laid back in a situation where there was a prefect, who is apparently infamous for being a tyrant in his school, somehow get his arm broken by _his_ mate _on accident_ only seemed to make his said mate even more distressed. Yamamoto didn't particularly like being the source of distress for his mate, so he stopped and tried to distract him, no matter how much the voice in the back of his head whined about how a distressed Tsuna was also very cute.

"Hey, Tsuna, didn't you have another meeting with another mate?"

That seemed to work.

While Tsuna had immediately snapped his head around to face Yamamoto in horror, because he had totally just forgotten about the other guy, he looked over to the hunched over figure of one Hibari Kyoya only to see him moving to stand up again, face blank. Although there was a somewhat visible drain in color in the other boy's cheeks, Yamamoto could say he was impressed to see how high the other's pain tolerance was.

But it really wouldn't do for him to attack him and their mate again.

Moving a panic-stricken Tsuna to the side, he quickly darted towards the prefect, dodged a sudden blow only by the skin of his teeth and tried to subdue the still somewhat shocked prefect before he could recover. There was also the issue of getting him to the hospital, of course, and he doubted that the violent prefect would just do as told.

"Yamamoto-"

But Hibari wouldn't be Hibari if he was taken down that easily, especially by a herbivore of Yamamoto's standards. Growling, he twisted out of the other's hold and grabbed a tonfa with his remaining hand. The urge to maim was practically tangible to all of them.

" _I will_ _ **bite**_ _you to death."_

"Wait, guys-!"

Ignoring the sparks of pain shooting up his useless arm and the cry from his _(omnivorous, he'd decided)_ mate, Hibari darted forwards and swung his all his might, eyes filled with bloodlust. Later on, Yamamoto would look back and realize that the only reason he was still alive was because he'd managed to dodge that hit by a hair's breadth. The fucking force was enough to crack the goddamned floor.

Jesus Christ.

"GUYS, PLEASE STOP THIS THEY'RE ALMOST HERE-"

"Who's-whoa!-almost he- _shit-_ re, Tsuna?" Damn, he could literally see his life flashing before his eyes. 'Note to self,' Yamamoto thought absentmindedly. 'A seething Hibari isn't a good Hibari.'

"Oh, it's nobody important. Just _MY_ _**GODDAMN SOULMATE AND I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU GUYS DON'T STOP FIGHTING RIGHT NOW THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES TO BEAR.**_ "

'Neither is a distressed Tsuna, apparently.'

"Three!"

Hibari thinks that his mate has quite the guts, counting down numbers to intimidate them like they were children. He would have to teach him a lesson later.

"Two!"

Yamamoto thinks that Tsuna is beginning to reveal his dramatic/slightly romantic side. Because counting down the seconds before meeting a soulmate was such a cliché.

"One!"

Tsuna thinks that they're both childish, over-powered children, in Hibari's case at least, that needs to be stopped. That, and oh look, his timer is zeroed.

Fantastic.

/

Sasagawa Ryohei was that person who lived by the belief that if you were to do something, even if it was something as simple as talking, it was to be done in an _extreme_ way, just so that you can get the full experience of doing _something_. In fact, his belief was so much so that he has had multiple complaints and reports filed against him for being such a _noisy and loud_ extremist over the years by the students and adults of Namimori alike.

But he was still very like-able, despite him being the way he is.

So, being the extremist he is, what does he do when he finds out, minutes before from his sister that happened to catch a glimpse at her brother's timer, that he was about to meet his soulmate? What does he do?

He plans the most extreme entrance he has ever done, of course.

His sister, bless her soul, doesn't agree with him, though.

"Onii-san, I don't think that your soulmate would like it if you jumped off a building."

"Nonsense, Kyoko! If they are to be my soulmate, they must also be ready to do things in an _extreme_ way! Plus, jumping off the roof and into the Reception Office is an _extremely extreme_ way to prove myself to them!"

"Reception Room?" Kyoko sounded worried all of a sudden. "Onii-san, you don't think that-"

Ryohei's laughter was booming as it cut her off. "Of course it isn't! I met Hibari years ago, and I was planning to head to the Reception Room just now to meet with him before you even told me that my timer is on its way to be zeroed."

"But remember, they said that no matter what extreme choices you make, you would always end up meeting your soulmate anyways! And what better way-"

Kyoko gasped as her brother jumped onto the wobbling railing of the roof, the only protection between the cold, hard ground and safety. "Onii-san, wait-! _"_

"-than to meet your extreme other half than this?"

And then he fell.

/

The room was quiet.

It wasn't like Tsuna didn't want to talk, but the prefect just didn't want to even _look_ at him, which was a completely ironic, considering he had wanted to beat him to a pulp not thirty minutes ago, even when they were trying to get him to co-operate and get him to the hospital as soon as possible.

'Speaking of which…' Tsuna looked over to his right, and straight at an overly happy-looking white haired male that he and Yamamoto had _unintentionally_ brought along the way to the hospital.

How the fuck does that even happen, anyways?

 _/_

" _Oh wow! Did you beat these two guys by yourself?"_

" _Uh-"_

" _I'm impressed! I'm glad to see that my soulmate is an extreme person, too! Say, do you want to join the boxing club?"_

" _No."_

" _You should join the boxing club, though! You're an extreme person and extreme people need to join some extreme-"_

" _I said no, thank you."_

 _/_

He certainly doesn't know.

Tsuna gave a small sigh, unconsciously giving his right arm a squeeze. Since that prick of a soulmate Hibari didn't want to talk to him and Yamamoto himself couldn't do much, Tsuna thought it better to take this chance and give this new person- _soulmate-_ a once over.

Testing the waters, that kind of stuff.

"So, uh… Ryohei-senpai-"

"Just call me 'Onii-san'! You're cute enough for me to let you call me that." Tsuna choked, Yamamoto coughed and Hibari gave a small twitch. "'Senpai' isn't a fitting honorific for me, anyways."

"Onii-san," said the brunette without missing a beat, trying to ignore the previous statement because he was not cute, dammit. "Would you…would you mind telling me why you came through the window instead of the door? Y'know, when you made your entrance-"

"THAT'S _EXACTLY_ WHY I DID IT!"

" _E-excuse me?"_ At this rate, Tsuna thinks that he might have a heart attack before the day is over.

"An entrance is supposed to be _**grand**_! To be _extreme!"_

"Y-yes, of course, but wasn't it _dangerous?_ "

"Of course it was! That's why it's so extreme!"

"B-but-"

"You shouldn't try to reason with that albino herbivore,"

Tsuna whipped his head around to stare at the prefect because ' _Is he going to talk to us now? Civilly? Oh, dear God. Fina-fucking-lly.'_ Tsuna briefly wonders when he'd gotten into the habit of swearing so much. His mother would be washing his mouth out if she ever got to find out.

 _Oh God, his mother._

"It will only serve to give you a headache." Hibari continued, as if he hadn't been sulking the entire time he was there.

"Hibari-san-"

"I want to fight you, omnivore."

Wait, what?

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I want to fight you-"

"No, no," Tsuna waved away the words, earning himself an amused glance from Yamamoto, an enthusiastic, wide-eyed grin from Onii-san and a slight glare from Hibari at being cut off. "After that. What did you call me after that?"

One of Hibari's impossibly immaculate and elegant eyebrow raised, and Tsuna would have to be blind to not notice the slight twitch upwards at the corner of the prefect's mouth. "I called you an omnivore. Is there a problem with that?"

Silence, and then-

"Are you calling me a hippo?"

Yamamoto and Ryohei actually had the audacity to burst out laughing.

/

After the laughing fiasco was over, with Tsuna still burning at the ears from being called an omnivore and actually saying his suspicions of being called a hippo out loud. Hibari, miraculously, had just raised both his eyebrows and turned away with a small 'hmph'.

That didn't help one bit, but okay.

"Hibari-san, we-as in, Yamamoto and I, but Ryohei too, I guess because he'd suddenly turned up along the way but we'll do it at the same time I suppose-"

"Tsuna, you're getting off-track," Yamamoto murmured, laying a hand on the poor, flustered boy's shoulder to calm him down. "It's okay. Don't need to be nervous about this. Take a deep breath."

Following Yamamoto's advice, he gripped his hands together and took a deep breath. Where had all the bravery gone? Where'd all his gusto for his mate's justice gone? He shoudn't have agreed to do this.

"S-sorry for that. As I was saying, Hibari-san, Yamamoto and I had originally wanted to talk about whether you knew of the many…issues surrounding me."

He really shouldn't have, because Tsuna had almost forgotten. He'd almost forgotten that all three of them in that room were _his_.

Hibari scoffed. "Of course I do. I'm Nami-chuu's Head Prefect. Nothing goes unnoticed by me or my men."

"Yes, we found out for ourselves before this, thank you very much. But still, since you weren't bothered by it, we have one problem left for you to solve before Yamamoto can…'clear' you."

"'Clear me'? Him?"

"Yes, me." At this, Yamamoto shifted his chair closer to Tsuna's, as if he was again, trying to protect Tsuna from being scrutinized or being judged. "I requested for this to be done and Tsuna only agreed because we both felt that it was sensible."

"What do you mean by this?" Yamamoto then started to explain Tsuna's situation and how he was still very much insecure by all this, and while Hibari couldn't stand the insolence shown by the herbivore, he certainly wasn't above at least listening to his mate's woes. He would try and endure, lower his pride a just a bit, just for the sake of keeping Sawada Tsunayoshi by his side, because the omnivore had proven himself.

Besides, he'd made a decision a long time ago that he'd keep him.

/

By the time he was done, silence reigned and Tsuna stared at the floor in shame and embarrassment of his own failures, sure that after listening to all that, they would reject him and prove that he was indeed, Dame-Tsuna. He could even feel the frustration and bloodlust rolling off Hibari in waves. Was he really going to be rejected that harshly?

 _(Who said they'd ever wanted you in the first place? That Hibari boy had told you that he didn't want to have anything to do with you, didn't he?)_

Oh, no. The voice was back.

 _('Yes, he did, but-')_

"Tsuna?" It sounded distant.

 _('But' nothing! He's already rejected you. And you even broke his arm, you monster. Poor Dame-Tsuna, always gonna be the outcast. The reject.)_

"Yo, Tsuna, are you okay?"

 _('But it was an accident!' he cried desperately. 'And I'm not a reject! I still have Onii-san and Yamamoto-')_

"Hey, he's looking a little pale here! Yamamoto, what's going on?"

 _(They'll leave you eventually! Do you really think people like Ryohei and Yamamoto would stick around a wimp like you? They have a life to go back to! They'll_ _ **leave.**_ _)_

Someone was shaking him, yelling at him, but he doesn't know how to respond to that because the words in his head rang true, didn't they? They'll leave. Yamamoto would leave, and so would Hibari. Ryohei, this Onii-san that he'd just met. He would leave, too. And eventually…

He would be alone again.

 _Slap!_

Watching Tsuna come to his senses as Hibari hit him across the head was funny as it was relieving to Yamamoto. Of course, he wanted to berate Tsuna, to scold him, to shake him and to tell him that _it wasn't his fault_ and to hug him because how his heart _ached_ for the other boy. But it was not his time. Not yet. For now, he would wait until after. For now, it was up to Hibari and Ryohei to make their decisions, and whatever the outcome, he swore that he would stand by his mate, ready to support him if needed.

And if he were to fall, he would pick him up, because Yamamoto was a patient man like that.

" _ **OW!**_ _WHAT THE_ _ **FUDGE NUGGET**_ _-_ _GODDAMNIT WHAT ON_ _ **EARTH**_ _-_ "

"You were making a really boring face, omnivore. Just making sure that you knew where your place is supposed to be."

Tsuna stared at the prefect through watery eyes, because _that was painful, damn it._ And also because _Hibari_ was worried? Damn. So many surprises in one day, this must be a new record.

"You know, I don't really get it," Ryohei said, donning a look of confusion and deep thought on his face. "All I know is that some people did some really non-extreme things… but that's okay, isn't it? Because all you've got to know now is that I'm always behind you, Sawada! Extremely so!"

Tsuna barely had the time to gawk at how simple-minded, yet how _pure_ his new-found Onii-san was before he was called by the demon himself.

"Listen here, omnivore," and Tsuna was suddenly as stiff as a board. Did he really have to listen to this? "I honestly don't care for the meaningless gossip and rumors being spread about you having numerous timers and so on, but what _does_ bother me, is when _someone messes with what belongs to me_."

Apparently so.

"You will give me the list of people that have, over the years, said anything idiotic about you; be it to your face, behind your back, or even to your goddamned ancestor's gravestone, I don't care. Give me the list, and I will carry out all necessary punishment for these useless herbivores."

Fuck all that noise. Was he dreaming?

"Omnivore," Hibari growled, snapping a very much frightened and confused Tsuna to attention. "Do you understand?"

"I-But- _but I broke your_ _arm!_ " Oh, yeah. Couldn't forget that classic fuck-up move. And screeching? Really? How old is he, twelve?

"So what? Are you doubting my skills as a carnivore?"

"What?!" This was getting a little too much for him. "No! I mean, I appreciate you wanting to beat those people up, but you're injured and I don't want to get anyone into trouble-"

"Herbivore-" Damn it. He was demoted to being a herbivore again. "You will do as told. Now get out of this room before I bite all of you to death for crowding in my presence."

And with that, all three of them were herded out of the room with little to no complaints because _there was actually a favorable outcome what the fuck_.

Tsuna thinks, while walking dazedly into the elevator with his newly acquired soulmate number three, Sasagawa Ryohei, and soulmate number one, Yamamoto Takeshi, both of who look like they'd just won the lottery, that he might just pass out one of these days due to all the shocks and surprises.

Really, he could just see it happening, and it was just around the corner, too.

/

Somewhere in Mexico, in a run-down bar further located in the slums of the city, hiding in the shadows, a file was being handed over to a baby. Inside those files contained highly sensitive information about the whereabouts and condition of the son of the Vongola's Young Lion, Sawada Iemitsu.

But of course, after the messenger had left, the so-called baby flipped through the pages of the file only to find, not to his surprise, that there was no picture and nor was there any _specific_ information on the boy himself. Only an address located somewhere in Namimori, Japan that was scrawled (Iemitsu, that asshole) and some useless tidbits on how his son went by the name of 'Dame-Tsuna' to the public of Namimori and so on was found.

The baby clicked his tongue in irritation and flipped the file back onto the table. "Iemitsu, that bastard. Can't even do a decent job of collecting information on his own son. What on Earth was his wife thinking when she married that idiot?"

Fiddling with the yellow pacifier dangling on his neck, he leaned back into the hard, wooden chair, and pulled out a green handphone with eyes on it.

"Hello, Oregano? No, don't transfer the call to that idiot. I might end up shooting Leon and you know how much he hates that." A pause, and the baby is speaking again. "Instead of that, ready me a jet by today, please. No, it isn't for a vacation. Stop questioning me and just get my jet ready already. I'm on a time limit here."

After hanging up, the phone immediately transformed itself into a chameleon, crawling its way up to sit on the fedora donning the baby's head.

"So, Reborn," Turning his head slightly, the baby saw a man sipping his poison, blending right in with the shadows with him, giving him a large, knowing grin. "Where is trouble supposed to be brewing now?"

The baby, Reborn, scoffed. "Trouble? No, there's no trouble. It's just that a new teaching offer has come up, and I'd be hard-pressed not to take it."

"A teaching offer?" The man sounded amused. "And where is it to be?"

Reborn smirked, lowering his fedora just enough to cover his eyes.

"In Namimori, Japan."

* * *

A/N: I survived exam week, but sadly missed out on one test because I went to get my blood tested and the school is being a bitch to not let me re-sit my exam paper. But at least I managed to post a new chapter! Yay for that.

And again, thank you so much for the reviews, I absolutely loved them. Tbh, I read them almost everyday to get myself motivated so...yeah. (Motivated enough to try an ignore cannon harder than before lol) I feel like Ryohei is seriously lacking screen time, but I'll try and fix that, so dont worry.

(I'll try to fix everything when it's not 3 in the morning)

P.S: I can't decide on whether Tsuna should be able to cook, or nah. So let's leave it to the next chapter, shall we?

Have a nice day/night!


	9. Chapter 9

Sawada Nana had woken up to the sounds of pots and pans clanging and the fire on the stove being lit. Though, instead of being worried that an a thief might have sneaked in while she was asleep, her initial reaction was to be curious as to who was it that had dared intrude upon her and her Tsu-kun's territory and risk a potential mess in the kitchen happening, because that person must have balls bigger than-

"Mom? Are you up?"

Dropping the killing intent and hiding the baseball bat behind her, Nana immediately put on her best smile and moved to the kitchen doorway, trying to hide her surprise from the sight of her son, who was still in his pajamas, throwing in patties made from the ground beef and pork that she'd bought especially for him into the sizzling pan.

"Ara, Tsu-kun! You're up early again!"

And he's cooking. _Cooking_. How long ago was it since he'd actually stepped into the kitchen with her to prepare something?Nana couldn't remember.

"Mhm. Mom, can you pass me the spatula, please?"

Absently, she glanced around the kitchen and noted the sushi filled Tupperware and the glad-wrapped triple-tier sandwiches that were on the table before moving to pass the said utensil to her son.

"Thanks," Leaning the bat against the kitchen wall, Nana watched as her son flipped the patties with precision and never once upsetting the oil with a small smile and wonder-filled eyes. Her Tsu-kun could be really graceful when he wanted to, couldn't he?

'Of course,' she thought suddenly with a mischievous grin. 'Any good mother would know to take this opportunity to get what she wants from her distracted son.'

"Ne, Tsu-kun?"

"Mm?"

"Who are you making these for?"

"Mmm, for Hibari-san, Yamamoto and Ryohei Onii-san. I need to get these done quickly though… they need to be cooled down before going into the bento and the sauce still needs to be prepared-"

"Oh?" She teased, trying her best not to giggle. "And are those people your soulmates? Is that why you're finally cooking again?"

"Don't be ridiculous, mom," Though he sounded a little embarrassed, Nana could see that he was still distracted by the preparations of the food. "I just haven't been able to find the time to cook previously and I'm just… I'm trying to make them something they like since I found out yesterday that apparently they don't eat in the morning because of school…Ah, especially Yamamoto because he's got baseball practice."

Placing the plate of cooked patties on the counter, Tsuna immediately set the timer to 30 minutes before moving to get a bowl. "Hibari-san just comes to school without eating sometimes, and that's quite worrisome because breakfast is really important if he's going to be fighting the entire day, especially since he's got a broken arm now. And Onii-san wakes up late every day so he just skips breakfast but he's in the boxing club so that's worrisome too…Oh, shit, the counter is a _mess_ -"

Nana was practically giggling at the cute sight of her son being so distracted that he was giving her all the info she needed while still worrying about the food. 'He really does care about them, huh?' Her smile was soft as she gazed at her son who was bustling around the kitchen, cleaning up and dumping all the utensils used into the sink to be washed later.

She really wished that she had a camera right then to capture the moment, but sighed wistfully instead and moved to help her Tsu-kun. Asking questions could come later, she reasoned. Right now, her Tsu-kun needed her help in cleaning up the kitchen because _how the heck_ did he get patty on the walls?

But there was still that one thing that Tsuna had said that had caught her attention though, and she really was curious... Oh, what harm could asking one question bring anyone anyways?

"Ne, Tsu-kun? How did that Hibari-san break his arm?"

/

To Tsuna, spotting Yamamoto was an easy feat.

All the brunet needed to do, really, was to just follow the sounds of cheering and yelling from the corner of the baseball field and there he was, practicing his swings in the batting cage. Squirming and squeezing his way through the crowd of Yamamoto' fans was torture, but Tsuna had to give him his bento, didn't he?

…

Yeah, he did. The ingredients he'd bought for the sushi had almost cost him his monthly allowance. The bento had _better_ reach the other.

Luckily, Yamamoto happened to glance over his shoulder at the right time to see Tsuna struggling to get to the front lines. Pressing the 'Stop' button, he ignored the groans and shouts of disappointment from the crowd before stepping out of the cage to remove his soulmate from his…overly-enthusiastic audience.

Besides, Tsuna was much more important anyways.

"Yo, Tsuna!" He'd greeted with a smile once they were away from prying eyes. "Didn't expect you to be so early to school today. What's up? And whoa-are you coming down with a cold? Your ears are really red."

Ducking his head in embarrassment, Tsuna tried to wave off the questions. "It's nothing. Mom just found out about The Incident. Anyways, I- err- because of the conversation we had yesterday night, y'know? On the phone? And I just tried to-um, just…I tried to make some stuff and uh-"

Pushing the blue Tupperware into a surprised and somewhat confused Yamamoto's arms, a flustered Tsuna tried to explain once again. "I tried to make some stuff that you like, though it's probably not as good as I hope it is." He mumbled, ducking his head once again.

The sudden hand on his shoulder almost made him jump, but at seeing the wide, happy grin that Yamamoto gave him, Tsuna managed to relax a little.

"Tsuna, the fact that you made this yourself is _amazing_ enough as it is, so don't go discouraging yourself, okay? And the fact that you actually thought of making me a bento after what I'd said in passing…" Here, Yamamoto's smile was so blinding that Tsuna was tempted to cover his eyes. Really, he didn't need to get so happy over a bento.

"I really, really, _really_ appreciate it, Tsuna. I'm gonna make sure I eat everything, so don't worry, alright?"

"But what if it's not-"

"I said I'd eat it, Tsuna. And as long as it's not purple, I'm pretty sure everything will be fine in the end." he joked.

"…Okay, but Yamamoto, please tell me if there's anything wrong with the taste, alright?"

Yamamoto nodded, still smiling. Then, as if just remembering something important, the boy swivelled his head up to look his mate in the eye, a twinkle of excitement in his own eyes.

"Ah, also, Tsuna, don't you think it's time for you to call me 'Takeshi' instead of 'Yamamoto'?"

Surprised by the sudden question, Tsuna stuttered before making a small 'eehhh' sound, having felt incredulous at the sudden suggestion because _God, no one has ever asked him to call them by their first name before_. This is _new_ and _personal._

"I mean, since we're mates and all, don't you think it's appropriate to do so?" He continued, but upon noticing Tsuna's uncomfortable shifting, however, Yamamoto immediately said "But if you don't want to, it's okay-"

"Oi, Yamamoto! Practice is starting now, so hurry up!"

Both jumping at the sudden interruption, Yamamoto quickly waved the other boy away, promising to be fast. Turning back to Tsuna, who still looked a little uncomfortable and somewhat red, Yamamoto gave him a small, encouraging smile.

After all, it wouldn't do for him to scare away the brunette after all was done to get him to finally open up a little.

"It's alright, Tsuna. We can continue our conversation later on during recess, okay? I'll see you later."

Tsuna nodded, and with that, Yamamoto (hesitantly) turned to leave. But he wasn't even sixty meters away from the other when he heard his mate call out.

"Um, Yama-! I mean, _Takeshi!"_

 _(God, how that name rolled off his tongue. It was_ _ **perfect.)**_

Though the grin was a little too large, Tsuna thinks that he could literally see the stars behind the other boy. Was he really that happy with him, just by saying his first name?

 _(Yes. Yes, he was.)_

"Yeah, Tsuna?" He called back.

Feeling silly, and strangely, a little bit more…elated, the shy brunet said,

"Remember to give me your comments on the food, okay?"

/

It was 20 minutes before class started, and Tsuna, bless that boy, had figured that he should hurry if he wanted to pass on the hand-made lunch-boxes to the other two soulmates of his.

So, here he was, in the third year corridor, panting and almost collapsing from running too much and carrying the mental strain of not wanting to upset the food in his hands. Tsuna thinks that maybe, in some form or manner, that rushing might have been a mistake on his part.

"Ah, Tsuna!"

Hearing his name being called, he turned, only finding himself to be facing Sasagawa Kyoko, Ryohei's baby sister. He briefly remembered the moment when they'd met for the first time, and blushed.

 _("Oh my, you're Onii-san's soulmate? You're really cute, aren't you?" Bowing, she told a flustered Tsuna, tone cheeky yet innocently sweet at the same time. "Please take care of my Onii-san, okay? He's a handful, but he's the best Onii-san I could ever ask for.")_

"Ah, Kyoko, you're early today."

Actually, she was always early, but Tsuna never took notice of anyone around him in class except for Yamamoto so… But Kyoko just nodded along, a happy smile on her face.

"Mhm, and so are you, Tsuna. But are you, by chance, looking for Onii-san?"

Scratching his head shyly, he looked down to the floor to hide the red blooming across his cheeks, but if Kyoko saw it anyways, she didn't say anything about it.

"I-I am, actually. You see, I found out from Yamamoto-I mean, Takeshi-that Onii-san has always been skipping his breakfast in the morning so I've made him a bento-"

He was suddenly cut off by a high pitched squeal, making him swivel his head up in shock…just to see the girl in front of him looking at him with teary, star-filled eyes and a smile so wide Tsuna thinks her cheeks might be hurting.

"You made Onii-san a _bento?_ Oh, but he's not here right now-"

Oh dear.

"Ye-Yeah, I did. But can you tell me where Onii-san is then? I still have to pass on another bento to Hibari-san, you see-"

Kyoko's eyes were getting wider and more teary-eyed. "Oh, Tsu-kun-"

'Oh my _Lord, how the hell does she know that name? And don't say it so loudly, the other students are looking!'_ the brunet thought hysterically, his face turning redder.

"-that's so _sweet!_ Oh, I bet that Onii-san would _love_ to eat what you've made for him! But you would have to wait a little while more, you know. He's still in the school's dojo-"

Tsuna was tempted to run from the girl. He doesn't want to be mean, because Kyoko was really a sweet girl, but he just doesn't know _how_ to deal with excited girls, and what he doesn't know, he always runs away from.

At least, that was _before_ he met Yamamoto, but that doesn't mean old habits die easily.

"It-It's no big deal, really, but- Ah, Kyoko, could you pass on the bento for me then? Because it would be bad if I don't get the other bento to Hibari-san, you see."

Feeling relief flood him as Kyoko nodded, Tsunayoshi handed the yellow Tupperware to her and immediately said his goodbyes before turning around and started to head for the Reception Room.

/

Three days after the visit in Namimori Hospital, Hibari Kyoya was discharged due to the threats made to the hospital and the fact that the hospital literally couldn't accept any more patients because of the rooms being occupied by all of Hibari's victims, including doctors and the nurses themselves.

Upon being released, Hibari had spent the entirety of two days hunting down the bullies that Yamamoto had listed instead of Tsunayoshi, for the little omnivore was a pacifist through and through and had refused to out anyone.

Taking what he could get, the skylark had immediately gone on a hunting spree, but thankfully did so in silence as to not distress his mate. As for how Yamamoto had found out who the bullies were, it was better to be left unsaid.

Though, if Tsuna had noticed the lack of bullies interrupting him throughout his walk to school and to the Reception Room itself, where there were usually ambushes ready for him, he didn't say a thing about it. And no one saw the small, sorrowful, though somewhat pleased smile on his lips, either.

/

Tsuna doesn't know how long it actually took for him to muster up the courage to knock on the suddenly big, looming door of the Reception Room before him, but to him, it seemed like an eternity.

"Come in," a commanding voice said from the other side of the door.

Gulping, Tsuna pushed the sliding door open, and stepped into the room.

To Tsuna, looking at Hibari was an experience in itself. The boy, though only 15 years old, was sitting behind a desk that seemed to fit in with the image of him just right, even with the broken arm. The skylark also held an air of an experienced leader and nobility that never seemed to fade while somehow retaining the bloodthirsty and merciless aura of a predator around him.

A true carnivore, indeed.

"Omnivore," Tsuna felt himself shivering at the quiet, yet deep voice. "What do you want?"

Sometime between his observation of Hibari and his mind wondering if he would ever look as graceful as the other did, Tsuna figured, in the back of his mind, that this wasn't just about a bento anymore. Not for Hibari-san, not for Yamamoto and not for Onii-san.

 _(There was a time where he wondered if he would ever feel the same way for his other soulmates. Would he be able to love them as much? Would he even be able to recognize the moment he fell?)_

But what it was about exactly, he still doesn't know. So for now, he will go along with the slow, fragile yet steady pace everyone was working hard to create.

Clearing his throat, Tsuna tried to fight the blush that tried to invade his face for what seemed like the nth time that day. Taking the only purple Tupperware left in his bag, he walked towards the prefect, with the other watching him with piercing, dark grey eyes.

"I made something for you," he'd clarified, voice steadier than he was feeling. "For breakfast, since I heard from Yamamoto that you're always skipping." Setting the Tupperware down on the table, he watched quietly as Kyoya studied the said item before deeming it safe enough to be held. As the prefect reached out a hand to take the Tupperware, Tsuna felt his heart rate pick up and already, he regretted what he was doing.

' _What was I thinking?'_ he screamed mentally, hands twitching to snatch the bento away, which was, by the way, already being opened. _'What if he doesn't like it? Am I going to be bitten to death for giving him food poisoning?'_

As Tsuna was self-destructing, he'd missed the moment as the prefect opened up the bento only to be promptly frozen in his seat. Briefly, he'd wondered how the brunet had known what his preference for food was, but as a _heavenly_ smell of Hamburg Steak wafted up and filled his senses, the thought was immediately discarded.

…

Well, the omnivore had said that he'd made it himself, didn't he?

Ignoring Tsuna's frantic eyes that were searching his face for any sign of disapproval, Hibari took the set of chopsticks prepared and muttered a quiet word of thanks before picking up a piece of the recently-cooked patty and ate it.

/

Tsuna was freaking out.

Having a total melt-down. Panicking, nerves shot and practically severed from his cold, sweaty body.

He had almost slapped away the chopsticks before they reached the prefect's mouth, but his curiosity and the more logical part of his mind had frozen his movements, making him watch in wonder and anticipation as the prefect ate _his_ food.

Again, he'd almost missed the moment where Hibari had frozen in his seat, eyes going wide as he stopped chewing on the first bite. He didn't this time, though. And oh, how he wished that he did.

"Hi-Hibari-san?" he called timidly, but still the prefect didn't look at him, and didn't that frighten the absolute _shit_ out of Tsuna.?

'Oh, God. I've killed him _again_.'

"Hibari-san! Oh _God, Hibari-san,_ _ **please don't**_ _ **die**_ _!_ "

Moving over to the other side of the table, he couldn't help but think: The great Hibari Kyoya, the Demon prefect of Nami-chuu and the most fearsome disciplinary leader Namimori has ever witnessed was taken down by his soulmate, Sawada Tsunayoshi A.K.A Dame-Tsuna, via _food poisoning_.

He was so going to die, wasn't he?

" _ **HIBARI-SAN! FUCK, I'M SORRY! PLEASE WAKE UP! LOOK AT ME, HIBARI-SAN! PLEASE DON'T DIE! MOM IS GONNA KILL ME FOR REAL THIS TIME!"**_

Panicking, Tsuna took hold of the seemingly paralyzed skylark and shook him, _hard,_ as he yelled out watery apologies and as he dared, slapped him as hard as he could, leaving a handprint behind on the other's pale cheek.

"Oh _**shit**_ _-"_

And suddenly, Tsuna found himself staring up at the same, dark grey eyes that were previously frozen, except that this time, they had something _burning_ in their depths.

 _(Was it anger? He didn't know, and he honestly didn't care. Absently, he noticed that he was on his back, on Hibari's table, and wondered how Hibari moved so fast-)_

Tsuna, who couldn't care less anymore because _thank_ _ **God**_ _Hibari-san is alive I didn't kill him Holy Fuck thank you Jesus holy shit,_ upon seeing that those eyes still had life in them, not even hearing the small growl of "Omnivore," before he did so, had immediately wrapped his arms around the other's neck and _hugged_ him.

/

Honestly, Hibari was amused, pissed and somewhat confused yet aroused at the same time.

Not really a good combination so early in the morning.

Having been woken up from what seemed like Hamburg Steak heaven-which he was sorely pissed about-by a painful slap to his face wasn't what he'd call 'preferable'. He was, however, somewhat amused (and aroused) by seeing the tearful and flustered look his mate was sporting once he'd come to his senses after moving on autopilot to beat the shit out of his assailant.

"Omnivore," he'd growled out, wanting to demand what the _fuck_ the other was thinking, being as bold as to go so far as _slapping_ him like that. Of course, that was before the boy beneath him had, unexpectedly, reached up with surprising speed and pulled him down by the neck to _hug_ him.

' _What the ever-loving_ _ **fuck**_ _,'_ the raven haired boy had thought oh-so-eloquently.

Well, in his defence, out of everything, he certainly hadn't expected _that,_ and anyone would've been surprised. Still…

The warmth around him was surprisingly welcomed, but he'd never admit that nor the fact that his arousal was spiked. "Omnivore," he tried again, voice muffled, yet still surprised by the soft tone he was hearing himself use.

"Omnivore, let go of me."

The sudden tightening of arms around his neck followed by a wet sniff had Kyoya stiffening. Was-was the other boy actually _crying_?

Oh dear Lord.

Frowning, Kyoya wondered what to do. Distantly, he realised that for the first goddamned time in his life, he was actually lost as to what to do next. He couldn't just push the other off; he was _his_ mate.

So, he did something that he'd seen others do millions of times before, but had never actually carried it out himself.

"Tsk, you stupid herbivorous omnivore," the skylark muttered as he awkwardly lifted the other up to a sitting position. In hindsight, it was a good thing that Tsunayoshi was still clinging onto him like a koala, or he would've seen the embarrassed look the prefect had suddenly sported.

'Damn it,' the skylark thought as he sighed before moving his arm to pat the other on his back. "Omnivore, what is wrong with you?"

"I-hic!-I though' yoo diededd-!"

Well, that was helpful.

"I can't understand what you're saying, you idiot. Say it properly or I'm going to bite you to death."

Instead of letting him go like he'd expected at the threat, Tsuna had tightened his arms again, nearly suffocating the other, before taking in a deep, shuddering breath and letting it out. "I-I thought that…"

"Speak, omnivore." He might be his mate, but Hibari was a man with very limited patience, as well. And it would do no one any good to forget that.

"I thought that you died," came the quiet, muffled reply.

Kyoya was tempted to smack the other over the head for causing him that much trouble (and worry), but decided on rolling his eyes instead. "Do you really think I'm so weak as to die from food poisoning?"

The brunet had let go at that.

Looking at the red-rimmed eyes and cheeks that were streaked with tears on his mate's face suddenly wasn't that funny nor was it that arousing to Hibari anymore.

On the contrary, it was so very, very unsettling.

"W-was the food bad, then?"

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, this kid, with his doe brown eyes, was going to be the death of him, wasn't he?

"It wasn't," Hibari had replied, trying his best to make his tone stern again. "Now, get off my table. The food is getting cold."

But then again, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

/

Reborn snarled as he threw the folder into the incinerator. It was useless to him, anyways.

Looking at that cursed pacifier he was doomed to wear reflecting back at him in the mirror, he couldn't help but stare at the numbers that had suddenly appeared on the said item three days ago, after he had left that bar in Mexico.

"How long?" he'd demanded, growling into the phone.

"Y-Your flight, sir?"

"No, your dick. I want the full measurement, width, length- _Yes, my flight, you goddamned imbecil!"_

"I-It-your flight from Italy to Japan takes up to 13 hours, sir!" the poor man was literally whimpering. He just couldn't understand how a child could sound so menacing!

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Y-Yes, sir! Do you-"

Reborn cut the call after hearing the confirmation. Throwing it up in the air, he immediately shot at it and when it came smashing down to the floor, there was a clear, rounded hole in the center of the screen.

Picking Leon up, he dialed a number only very few people alive knew, himself included.

Numerous clicks were heard after the first dial tone, signalling that the people on the other side had picked up. 'Of course they would,' the baby thought, staring intensely at the numbers inked on his pacifier once again. 'This is pretty fucking much Omerta on its own. If this number is dialed, no matter where you were, what you were doing, it was to be picked up. That is the First Arcobaleno Rule.'

"Blue is present, kora!" A loud, boyish voice.

"The immortal Purple is present! Who dares disturb me-" A high-pitched, whiny voice.

"Indigo is here, muu. Make it fast. Time is money, you know?" A monotonous, serious voice.

"Rain is here, too. What's going on?" A woman's voice, her tone hard and serious.

"Red is present. Is everyone alright?"

"Green is present. Do we really have to use these names?"

Ignoring the greetings, Reborn spoke, his tone commanding. "All of you are to come to Namimori, Japan by this week. I found something, and I expect _everyone_ to be there. Any absentees will be met with the end of my gun, and that's a promise. Also, if you're looking for clues, it might show up within the hour on your pacifiers. Good day."

And with that, he hung up.

Facing the mirror properly this time, Reborn tried to ink the nostalgia-inducing numbers into his brain.

'This is _impossible_ ,' he thought for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. 'These numbers disappeared _decades_ ago. This shouldn't be possible _at all_.' Reborn sounded only slightly hysterical in his own mind, but well, no one could blame him, because it was true. It simply _was impossible_ in its own right. But no matter how he looked at it, it wasn't a fake. It wasn't a hallucination.

It was _real_.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 16 . 30 . 53_

 _These numbers were real, and they were ticking._

* * *

I scream because you are all awesome. Nothing short of that. All of you. I love you guys.

Have a nice day/night.


	10. Chapter 10

To say that Reborn hadn't liked what was going on was the understatement of the century, because everything about the situation had just screamed ' _Wrong'_ to him _._

You see, according to Reborn, there were only two categories of which he labelled 'Wrong' and ' _Wrong_ ' in his mind for the events that often happen around him.

'Wrong' was when Colonello and Lal had stupidly decided to find comfort in each other after the curse, using up almost all of their left-over Life Flames just to momentarily turn into their Adult Forms to forget and to deny the reality of the situation. They were just _lucky_ that Luce had the grace to knock their skulls together and snap them out of it before it was too late.

'Wrong' was when Skull had accidentally sold all of them out to another Mafia Famiglia, almost killing them all. Thankfully, the evidence of him being tricked was solid, or else he would've been in one of the Vindice's prison cells by then, or worse. The Arcobaleno, however, had forgiven him only after the entire unnamed Famiglia was destroyed, along with their secrets.

'Wrong' was when Iemitsu, that fucking idiot, was introduced as CEDEF's boss and as Nono's External Advisor. Oh, the man was good at his job, but that blond idiot was too flighty and too much of a care-free idiot to Reborn.

'Wrong' was when three of Nono's sons were murdered and following soon after, The Cradle Incident.

And then, there was ' _Wrong'._

For one, ' _Wrong'_ was the incident of having being cursed and turned into an immortal baby along with seven (well, it _used_ to be seven. It was six now.) other powerful people to live out the rest of their long, miserable lives until the moment that son of a bitch Checkerface decides that they've outlived their uses and that it was time to bring in fresh meat.

' _Wrong'_ was finding out that their timers had disappeared, leading up to the situation with Lal and Colonello.

' _Wrong_ ' was when Luce revealed that she was pregnant and that she was going to die soon after giving birth, and her daughter was the one that was going to have to carry on that said curse.

' _Wrong'_ was when they had to bury their beloved Sky's body in the cold, dark earth.

' _Wrong'_ was when Aria, Luce's precious baby girl, had suddenly disappeared one night while under their watch.

And ' _Wrong'_ was three days ago when Reborn had happened to glance at his own reflection in a glass mirror, not five minutes later when he was on the way back home from that shady bar, only for his eyes to zero in on the numbers that he hasn't seen on his own body fo _r God_ knows how long reflecting back at him, inked proudly into his pacifier _._

Needless to say, Reborn had promptly shattered that mirror, and thought himself hallucinating. But after hours of refusing to look at the pacifier, convinced that he was just too tired, he gave in. Because maybe, just _maybe_ , it wasn't just him going crazy and there was still hope for him yet.

So he'd looked.

And promptly shattered the mirror again.

Because this time, he could see the numbers clearer than ever, and Reborn wasn't stupid. He knew what this could possibly mean. What it was practically _suggesting_.

And how much clearer could the clues given possibly get, anyways? A job in Japan _conveniently thirteen hours away_ , the numbers appearing right after Nono sent his informant to give him the file; Reborn wouldn't even be _alive_ then if he wasn't even able to pick up the so-called hints life was throwing at him.

It meant that either his soulmate was in Namimori, or that the _kid_ himself was possibly Reborn's mate.

 _Their mate, because a Sky was just as well a mate to the Arcobaleno._

And honestly… Reborn doesn't even know how he feels about that.

But what bugged him more was the mystery of _what_ triggered this effect and _how_ this even happened to his pacifier in the first place. Staring at the pacifier reflected back in the mirror, he tried to think.

Was it his Flames? Did they pick up what he'd missed all this time? Were they pulled to the idea of a new Sky after _so_ long? Was that why they had chosen to respond so desperately? Was that it?

…

No. It wasn't.

No matter how much the Greatest Hitman in the world tried to figure it out, wracking his big brain for possible answers, the answer just kept on slipping away, and logic was no help in this particular situation, either. His Flames just didn't work that way, and he'd know if something was up with Checkerface, because…

 _("This is your last mission. Go there, and you will receive the biggest reward you have ever gotten to make up for your troubles.")_

Because Checkerface was the bastard that would risk _everything_ and _everyone_ else for the sake of the Tri-Ni-Sette, and there was no way he would do something as risky as this. Letting them find their other half, gaining even more powerful Flames, especially if their mate was a _Sky_ …

Shaking his head, Reborn tried to stop himself from thinking too deep. He didn't even know who his mate was yet, and it wasn't even confirmed that it was Iemitsu's innocent kid. For all he knew, it could be some other civilian that has normal, unawakened elemental Flames of their own or something like that.

'But citizen or not,' Reborn thought, his eyes sharpening as he clicked his tongue in annoyance at the thought of training another person aside from the Vongola's heir. It irritated him, somehow. 'That person must obviously be playing a huge role in the future to come. The only question is, what on Earth is going to happen?'

Sighing, he lifted up a hand to rub at his temples, feeling the starting of a migraine seeping into his brain at the thought of all the work that was to be done. Really, this was so much more trouble than it was worth.

Reborn just hopes, for his and everyone else's sake, that if his mate were to be Iemitsu's boy, the kid had better not turn out to be like his father or he might really have to shoot someone.

/

Nana woke up the following morning to the sound of silence, and for the first time since her Tsu-kun was born, she was surprised that he wasn't up yet. 'That's weird,' she thought, yawning as she got up from her cocoon of warmth. 'He's not going to cook today?'

Sleepily shuffling her way to the bathroom, she shivered at how cold the air was. Really, no wonder her Tsu-kun wasn't up; he was like a bear hibernating whenever the weather got to freezing temperatures like this one. In hindsight, maybe she shouldn't have woken up either. But whatever, she figured that she should clean up first and start on making breakfast.

God knows her Tsu-kun would need it for later.

Humming, Nana went out into the compound and stretched a little. Nothing better than a little bit of fresh air before starting the day, anyways. And oh, look, Noshima-san's flowers have bloomed beautifully, haven't they?

"Ah, Good morning, Sawada-san!" called the postman from her gate.

"Good morning to you too, *Yubinhaitatsu-san! Got anything for me today?"

"Well," the man said, grinning at the cheery woman before reaching into his bag and producing a small bundle of letters that were tied together. "There are some, but aside from the usual-and don't get mad at me, Sawada-san, I just happened to notice it-I think you've got an extra letter today. Might be from your husband."

' _Huh_ ,' Nana thought, astonished. 'Now isn't _that_ something to be told so early in the morning. Surprises are just popping up one-by-one from all around the corners nowadays, aren't they?'

See, the hope that there was maybe a letter from Iemitsu had died out long ago, but that didn't mean she could stop herself from asking the postman about it. And at the possibility that her way-ward husband had actually sent her a letter after all this while made her poor, beaten heart flutter with a sliver of longing.

Taking the bundle, she gave the postman a small smile before waving him off and turning around to flip through the letters. And true to what he'd said, there was an extra letter, but it was sealed in a white envelope that looked too pristine and too professional for what her husband would usually send.

Plus, there was no sign of her husband's untidy scrawling, only a neat row of cursive words that read 'Sawada Nana'. And there was no address, so that was weird, too.

But since it had her name on it, it wasn't illegal to open it up and see what it was inside, was it?

…

Nah.

Ripping the envelope open, she inspected the contents, only to find a folded piece of paper that advertised tutorship services, followed by a name and a number to call if she were to agree to hire this 'Reborn' person. Raising her brows, she read over the so-called terms and conditions listed.

"Will raise your child to be the leader of the next generation, and as long as there is food and shelter provided, services are for free." She read, muttering the last few words. Well, didn't that sound reasonable? Standing there, Nana contemplated on what to do next while staring at the paper, because on one hand, this sounded too good to be true, but on the other hand, her Tsu-kun's grades were slipping, weren't they?

Who was she kidding? Tsuna's grades were always at that level of atrociousness.

Having made up her mind, she folded the paper before walking back into the house, a devious smile on her face. Looks like her Tsu-kun was going to have a home-tutor after all.

/

"Tsu-kun! Tsu-kun, it's almost seven so wake up or you'll be late for school!"

Groaning, Tsuna turned over in his bed, grabbing a pillow along the way to smother himself over the head with and to block out his mother's call for him to wake up. Due to the sudden change in his sleeping schedule, he was too tired to even lift his eyelids, anyways, so what was the point in trying to gather the energy and yell 'Five more minutes!' like he usually did?

As he was falling back into slumber-land, he missed the sound of Nana's footsteps coming up the stairs and her opening his bedroom door. Sighing, she side-stepped the mess that was Tsuna's dirty clothes and comic books and headed straight for Tsuna himself. Shaking him, she tried waking him once more.

"Tsu-kun," she called softly. "Tsu-kun, it's time for school. You don't want to keep your soulmates waiting, do you?" At the groan she heard after mentioning his soulmates, she sighed again. Really, it wasn't like she didn't understand how her son felt, because she, too, had woken up early every day after she'd met Iemitsu to prepare his favourite dishes and to spend extra time with him throughout the day. But exhausted or not, Tsuna had classes and she wasn't about to let him miss his education without a valid reason.

" _Sawada Tsunayoshi that is failing all his classes, wake up now, please!"_

Suddenly hearing the stern voice of his usually cheery and soft-spoken mother was enough to jolt the said boy out of bed with a loud " _Gah!"_ and have him flailing against the tangled bedsheet, resulting in his unfortunate fall to the floor. Head first. Of course, Nana had just watched all this happen, too used to her son's somewhat adorable clumsiness and his not-so adorable whining that followed soon after. At least he was awake now.

"Here, Tsu-kun," she'd said, bending a little before unfolding the piece of paper she'd gotten earlier on and practically shoving it into the brunet's face, stopping him short from the all noise he was making about falling out of bed. "Read this."

"The paper? What for?" Asked a disgruntled and confused sounding voice from the lump on the floor. His question, however, went unanswered as silence took over for a good one minute, the boy's eyes widening at each word he read before Tsuna oh-so subtly started to _freak the fuck out_ - _because what the_ _ **fuck**_ _Mother_ _ **NO**_ _this doesn't sound good for me at all_ -and asked a question he dreaded the answer to.

"Mom… Mommy dearest, what does this mean?"

"This means that I've hired a tutor for you, Tsu-kun! See, it says here that as long as we provide food and shelter for him, then his services would be free of charge. So I gave him a call and he sounded really reliable, so I had him hired immediately!" was the obliviously animated reply.

And Tsuna's reply was equally animated, if not more hysterical and more panicky. "But that obviously sounds like a scam! Mom, where on Earth did you get this flyer from?!" At seeing his mother opening her mouth to answer, he held up a hand to cut her off, because God knows she got it from some sketchy person on the streets while on the way home from buying groceries. "No, wait. Don't answer that. Just- Look, Mom, I don't _need_ a tutor! I'm doing just fine on my own here!"

 _ **Bullshit.**_

Shrinking at the look Nana sent him, Tsuna tried to fix that lie. "Well…not _that_ fine, but-but I'm improving…?" An eyebrow was raised. "Improving…bit by bit?" he'd added weakly. Sighing, Nana shook her head before pulling her son up from the floor. Really, he could be so stubborn sometimes.

"Doesn't matter now," Nana said, dusting him off before pushing towards the direction of the bathroom. "I called him just now and he said that he was going to start work today. Isn't that great, Tsu-kun?" Giving her adorable son an encouraging smile, she continued. "Plus, having a home tutor could turn out beneficial, you know? It helps with your concentration on studies and such. Now go on and get ready. It's almost time for school."

/

Stepping into the neighbourhood, Reborn thinks that he could almost taste his anticipation, his burning curiosity. Looking down at his pacifier only served to kick that source of adrenaline up a notch.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 02 . 27_

Expanding his senses as far as he could, Reborn tried to see if he could sense anything, _anyone,_ to match his suspicions that of his soulmate, most importantly his possible _Sky,_ being in this area. So far, he hadn't been able sense anyone coming his way nor could he sense anyone about to even leave their houses.

And considering the diameter of his senses had covered pretty much that entire neighbourhood and the next, his observation had pretty much confirmed every guess and every theory that he'd made on his way there anyways. It was most certain that the kid, his _student_ , was his mate. His Sky.

How unsurprising.

Toning down his senses as well as his presence as to not alert any possible enemies nearby, Reborn headed towards the Sawada household, lips set in a grim line. Leon's familiar weight, previously calmly settled on the brim of his hat, was shifting and the so-called baby couldn't help but think that maybe his pet was excited about this, too.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 01 . 36_

 _(He knew_ _ **he**_ _was.)_

But aside from the obvious fact that he was an idiot, Reborn wondered what kind of person Sawada Tsunayoshi could possibly be. Was he kind, like Luce? Was he powerful, like Nono? Was he as cute as Iemitsu described him to be? Probably not, because that dumb blond tended to exaggerate on almost everything that came out of his mouth. Anyhow, Reborn just hopes that he's not as clumsy as his files says he is.

Jumping up onto the stone wall that separated house from road, he looked up at the cosy-looking house, feeling a sudden wave of Harmony assaulting his senses. 'Well, I'll be damned,' he thought, a little caught off guard at the sheer intensity of it. Narrowing his eyes _-because he's never supposed to be_ _ **caught off guard**_ _, of all things-_ , Reborn took a moment to absorb his surroundings, looking at the compound that was neatly kept and at the beautiful potted flowers that looked freshly watered. At the carefully trimmed tree and at the wet clothing that hung from the clothes line. More specifically, that one particular hoodie that had the number '27' stitched unto it.

Well, this was a Sky's Domain, alright. The biggest one he's ever seen, too, as the harmonious aura was practically pulling him in and easily overwhelming his senses. The baby smirked, feeling a little bit proud of his mate because not even Luce have ever had this sort of influence over him, let alone Nono, and he was the biggest Sky he'd met after the curse and after Luce.

'Guess that record is broken by a large margin now, wasn't it?' the hitman thought smugly. And by his own Sky, no less. Those thoughts made Reborn practically impatient, willing the timer to move faster. He wanted to see his mate. He wanted to see his new, potential-filled Sky.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 53_

Jumping down into the compound, Reborn headed for the front door, intending to just break in because that was _so_ much easier than knocking. Plus, he'd get to take his mate by surprise. Leon rumbled, tongue flickering in and out, seemingly in agreement with its master.

'Funny how time seems to slow down when you want something done with so badly,' the hitman thinks, unlocking the door. He makes a note to change their locks later, as it really was too easy. Also, he wouldn't have his mate living in such vulnerable conditions either way.

Walking into the _(cozy, warm, accepting)_ house, the first thing he hears are shrill shouts of "But Mom, that really does sound like a scam!" from a kid and a woman, most probably Sawada Nana, saying something along the lines of "Don't worry about it," and "What about your other soulmates?" from the second floor.

Reborn's ears perk up at the mention of 'other soulmates', because _he was_ _ **right**_ _that this Sky has more than one soulmate_ _ **.**_ Question is, how many soulmates does the other really have, anyways? Reborn estimates it to be around thirteen, counting both the Arcobaleno and most probably, his Guardians, too, because Reborn is no way so naïve as to believe a Sky this big has only seven soulmates.

And the boy is what, fourteen? Damn. Reborn would be lying if he said that he wasn't impressed.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 09_

'Strange,' the hitman thinks as he glances at the numbers on his pacifier, ignoring his sudden rapidly speeding heartbeat. He doesn't get nervous, damn it! 'Shouldn't that child be freaking out now? Surely he realises that the timer is almost zero…Unless that wasn't my mate that I'd heard.'

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 .05_

Just as he thinks that, he hears footsteps thumping above him and the next thing he knows, he hears a series of crashes and yelling coming down the stairs.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 .04_

'Oh my God,' Reborn thinks, exasperation suddenly replacing the small amount of respect that he'd found outside for his soulmate. 'Don't tell me…'

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 .03_

A resounding crash as Reborn watches a blurry lump tumble down the stairs only to slam into the wall opposite the staircase. 'He's as clumsy as Dino,' Amazingly enough, that particular realisation alone was enough for the hitman to build a strong resolve to beat that cursed habit out of his new student as soon as he got the chance.

Because he sure as hell wasn't going to tolerate any more clumsiness after Dino, that walking disaster machine.

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 02_

Coolly, Reborn looked on as the groaning boy slowly turned his head in his direction, probably unaware that the hitman was even there. Well, there was always later for sensory training but for now, he watched with burning apprehension as the skinny-looking boy turned to face him, and… _oh, boy._

Ever heard of the term ' _Curiosity killed the cat'_?

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 01_

Well, curiosity did indeed kill the cat…but didn't you hear?

' _Satisfaction brought it back_.'

 _00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00 . 00_

And suddenly for Reborn, looking into adorably pained, watery, golden-brown eyes that literally reflected the colour of the setting sun was, oddly, satisfying enough.

* * *

 **A little shorter than the last chapter, but I love making people wait so why not?** **Also, not much this time round, but at least there's something and I've been wanting to write from Reborn's perspective since he only got like two screen-times before this. Found out that it's pretty hard to do so, though.**

 **But again! Thank you guys so much for the reviews, and I would love it if you guys would keep them coming in order to feed my motivation tank and my muse. I drain them pretty quick :P**

 **And as usual, have a nice day/night!**


	11. Chapter 11

If Reborn had been (sadistically) expecting some sort of dramatic, over-the-top reaction from Tsuna, he would have been sorely disappointed.

"Eh? A kid? Why is there a kid here?"

Snapping out of his admiration-filled trance for his mate's eyes ( _theywerereallyprettyokaywhattheheckie)_ and body freezing up at those words, Reborn stared at the bruised up boy lying the floor because _what the_ _ **fuck.**_ _Does this idiot really not know who he was?_ _ **His own soulmate?**_

"Um, hey, kid. How did you get here? Are you lost? Where are your parents?"

Apparently _**not**_.

"Dame-Tsuna," he heard himself growl out, an invisible tick starting to form on his jaw, making him twitch slightly. "Don't tell me that you really have no idea who I am?" This was unbelievable. Reborn could just about say that he was offended that his mate, however suitable he might be as a Sky, was dense enough to miss out on the timers on his arms counting down and have the guts to not know who he was.

"Hey! How did you know that name?" the brunet shouted indignantly, face going a delightful shade of red in embarrassment. "And I really don't know who you are! _You're_ the one that appeared out of nowhere in _my_ home!"

Though Reborn thought that it had looked cute, he figured that the current problem at hand was much more important (and insulting to him) than that pout his mate had on. And of course, it was a problem that had to be corrected. _Immediately._

Jumping up, he aimed a powerful kick at an unsuspecting Tsuna's head, sending the boy flying head first towards the adjacent wall. "Word gets around, Dame-Tsuna," the baby hitman replied with a smirk as he landed, not even wincing at the resounding crash and watched as the stunned boy slid down the wall in pain. This counted as a small retribution, anyways. "Though, I never quite imagined you to be so thickheaded as to forget about an encounter with a soulmate."

The spiky-haired brunet had gotten back up at this point, eyes wide and teary with shock and pain, and looked as if he was about to say something when Nana came hurrying down the stairs, looking worried.

"Tsu-kun!" she cried, voice a slightly scolding tone, concerned eyes focusing on her only son. "What was that noise? Did you fall again? That sounded like an-oh!" Stopping short as she spotted Reborn, she shifted her attention to the supposedly lost child immediately.

"Ara, who's kid is this?" Before either of them could answer, Nana proceeded to walk towards Reborn with a bright smile on her face, all traces of worry gone from her face as she crouched to face him at eye-level. "Hello," she greeted politely, still smiling kindly. "What's your name? Are you lost? How did you get here, little boy?"

'And this must be Sawada Nana, huh?' Giving the woman a subtle once-over, Reborn thinks that he could see, if only a little, where Tsuna had gotten his looks from.

"Ciaossu," the hitman greeted after a moment, tilting his fedora in respect. "I apologize for the intrusion, Sawada-san. I am Reborn, the home tutor that was hired just this morning. I look forward to work with you and your son, so please take good care of me."

/

While Reborn was busy being polite and cozying up to a very amused and taken Nana, Tsuna was in the background, looking and feeling very much spooked and taken-aback at the sudden turn of events that morning. But at Reborn's sudden glance his way, he managed to snap out of his daze and gather the courage to interrupt because just as this could easily be one of the top _**'What The Fuck'**_ moments in his life, he wanted _answers._

Because who the _fuck_ had abnormally strong _babies with chameleons on their heads_ kicking them into the wall in the morning before proceeding to insinuate that they were that person's _**soulmate,**_ of all things, only for that person to find out later on that that said baby was going to end up their _home tutor?_

Noone, that's who. Well, except for him, apparently.

"H-Hold up!" Tsuna shouted suddenly, drawing the attention of the other two, but most importantly Reborn's. "Reborn, was it? Look, what did you mean by that when you said that you're my soulmate? Because it's simply impossible; you're just a baby, you know?"

'Albeit a _very violent_ baby,' he thought, shifting uncomfortably at the sudden glare that he was shot.

"Dame-Tsuna," Reborn sounded incredibly condescending, making Tsuna feel thoroughly chastised all of a sudden. "Maybe if you had cared to look at your timers every night before you sleep, you would have noticed that there was one that was on its way to being zeroed as of yesterday. But as you haven't, judging by the insulting way you reacted to me just now, you definitely wouldn't have known that I am your mate if I hadn't pointed it out."

Silence reigned for a good one minute before Tsuna, face lighted the same color as his mother's apron, moved to quickly shift his pajama sleeves up before hastily tearing off the armbands covering his numerous timers. This prompted a raised eyebrow from Reborn, but thankfully, he didn't say anything, only choosing to be startled when he saw exactly how many timers the other had decorating his arms like small barcodes.

As Tsuna ran his eyes over printed skin, searching frantically for proof that the baby was indeed his mate, Nana had decided that it was better for her to leave them alone in favor of helping her Tsu-kun prepare his uniform. At least when they were done, Tsuna would be able to get to school on time without any more delays. Plus, it looked like Reborn had something to tell her son, anyways, judging by the impatient and somewhat wary gaze he held for him.

Tsuna, on the other hand, had searched each and every inch of his skin before finally finding it. On the area right below his elbow of his left arm were a set of numbers that had zeroed, proof of what the baby had said about him being his mate.

'Well, _shit._ No wonder he kicked me,'

"Finally found it, you brat?" Sucking his teeth, Reborn walked over to the stilled teen and started to inspect his arms, whistling lowly as he counted a total of twenty timers. "Oi, Dame-Tsuna," he called, pinching the small brunet for attention. When he got it, he pointed to the three neat rows of zeroed timers in curiosity. "Who're these three people?"

Turning his head to face the other way, Tsuna tried to hide the small dusting of pink on his cheeks. Oh, the baby has already seen him embarrassed, but for some reason, it felt necessary to hide from Reborn's piercing gaze. "They're my schoolmates." He muttered, blushing further. "I just met them recently, too."

"Really?" This piqued his interest. Maybe…

"Well, mind telling me who these people are and how you met them?"

"W-well, you're one of my soulmates, and you're going to have to meet them eventually so I don't see why not." But although he said this, he was still hesitant in telling Reborn everything. Why, though, he didn't know, but the buzzing in the back of his mind was back and it made him a little wary of Reborn's intentions.

So Tsuna decided to tell him a little bit of what happened instead. He'd learnt to not take that buzzing in his head for granted any more, anyways.

"Let's see... Well, one of them is Yamamoto Takeshi, and he's from my year and is in the same class as I am. He's… he's just become very dear to me. The other is Hibari Kyoya, the prefect in my school that likes to 'bite people to death' whenever they break the school rules. Ah, and I met my third soulmate, Sasagawa Ryohei, on the same day I met Hibari-san, too. It's really a long story."

The hitman hummed, before filing those names away into the back of his mind, reminding himself to do some extra bit of surveillance on these three and a background search on each of them later on. They could be potential Guardians, after all.

"Hey, Reborn?"

"What is it?" The kid was avoiding eye contact.

"Um… I hope that this won't offend you, but…"

"What is it, Dame-Tsuna? Spit it out. A good Boss should never hesitate on what he wants to say."

"Boss? But- but I'm not a Boss-"

"Hurry up and spit it out, Dame-Tsuna."

Twitching a little at the commanding tone, Tsuna tried to gather his words once again. "W-well, since you're my soulmate and all, I know I'm required to…um… d-do some… soulmate-y things with you-"

' _Jesus_ _ **fuck**_ _._ _ **'**_ _ **Soulmate-y things**_ _ **'**_ _?_ _ **Really**_ _, Dame-Tsuna? How embarrassing can you get? He's a child! A GODDAMNED CHILD SO FUCKING HELL JUST SAY THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO BE CHARGED WITH PEDOPHILIA ALREADY!'_

Tsuna thinks that his subconscious was getting a little too sassy and sarcastic lately.

"-but um… I just, I wouldn't be able to do it, you see?"

"What the ever-loving fuck are you talking about, Dame-Tsuna?" Honestly, watching the younger boy squirm and trip over his words was cute and all, but over time it just got annoying. And as funny as it was playing with him, Reborn's facial muscles were threatening to twitch and cringe at how bad Tsuna was handling this already.

"I'm saying I don't want to go to jail, Reborn."

There, that deadpanned tone was _much_ better. See? He knew he had it in him.

Snorting, Reborn turned away and lowered his fedora just enough to cast a shadow over his eyes. "You shouldn't be the one saying that, Dame-Tsuna." Before Tsuna could ask what he meant by that and _could he stop being so vague please thank you very much_ , Reborn jumped up onto his head, getting comfortable in that surprisingly soft nest of hair. "Well, we'll talk later. But for now, you have to get to school or you'll be late. Mama's already gotten your clothes ready."

"'Mama'? What on Earth-"And as if just registering what was said, Tsuna jumped up, panicking. "Holy shit." He whispered, face paling rapidly. "Hibari-san is going to _kill_ me."

/

" _ **Omnivore, where have you been?**_ "

Shivering at the frightening tone Hibari was using, Tsuna took a step back before attempting to explain himself. "W-wait, Hibari-san! I have a very valid reason so please don't bite me!" Despite being crippled, he had no doubts that the prefect would be able to take him down without even breaking a sweat. Besides, the glint on that tonfa did not look friendly at all.

Glaring at the brunet, Hibari grunted before letting his arms fall to his side, deciding to let the little animal speak for once. This could count as a favor repaid in full after the delicious meal yesterday, anyways. "You have thirty seconds to explain yourself, omnivore, and it better be good."

"Thirty seconds?! But-"

"Twenty-eight seconds."

And so Tsuna launched himself into the spiel of explaining the events that morning, summarizing as much as he could so that Hibari wouldn't kill him for wasting his time and good graces. Throughout his explanation, however, he couldn't help but notice Kyoya's eyes flickering to the side for a moment before focusing on him once more. Though curious, he didn't dare ask as he really didn't feel like getting bitten today, especially with Reborn hiding somewhere, watching him. Luckily enough, Hibari had only demanded that he meet the hitman soon and that he arrive early next time, saying something about carnivores in his territory before walking off, coat billowing dramatically behind him in the wind.

Tsuna had almost scoffed at that, because aside from the fact that Reborn was his soulmate, he was only a baby pretending to be his tutor. What was so carnivorous about that?

 _(He had promptly ignored the fact that Reborn had also single handedly kicked his ass against the wall that morning, deeming it to be some sort of fluke or hallucination.)_

/

Ryohei was on his way to the boy's restroom when he spotted a shadow flashing through the tree leaves, and briefly wondered if he was hallucinating. Of course, as any curious young teenager would, he had headed towards the window to peer out at the said tree before squinting at the leaves in question and straining his ears to hear any sign of rustling.

Eyes raking the tree from top to bottom and finding nothing as a result, Ryohei had leaned back and scratched his head before figuring that maybe he was too tired from his extreme activities that morning. He'd woken up at 5a.m, 1 hour earlier than usual before starting his jog around town, after all.

"Maa, I guess I should start listening to Kyoko and tone down a little if I'm starting to imagine things now." Shrugging, the boxer turned back around, throwing the event from his mind as he proceeded once more towards men's laboratory, never once spotting a glinting pair of pitch black eyes watching him from the shadows before disappearing completely.

/

If he were to think about it, everyone has had those days where simply being around people could send them into a bad mood as fast as Hibari could smell a bunch of crowding teenagers in his school. But being irritated was something Yamamoto just did _not_ do and _yet…_

Here he was.

Irritated as all heck, with suddenly annoying teammates and fans cheering and yelling at him from the sidelines, causing such a ruckus and headache for him instead of the usual (rather egoistic) thrilling adrenaline that was supposed to be coursing through his veins. And when Yamamoto couldn't even bring himself to figure out why he was like that in the first place, it only served to make him doubly pissed. Which _also_ made him pissed. Shortly, it was like a never-ending circle of pissy Yamamoto thoughts running through his wired mind.

The prickling sensation of being watched didn't help his mood much, either.

 _('Don't be idiotic. There are tons of people watching you already, so what's one more?')_

Wiping his brow, Takeshi tried once more to breathe, to calm his too-sensitive nerves and to focus. Focus on the ball. The baseball.

The sound of the ball being loaded and the weight of the all-too-familiar baseball bat in his hands.

His muscles being pulled and straining and he lifted the bat up and got ready to swing.

The strangely satisfying 'whoosh' the ball made when it was spat out of the machine.

The thundering crack as he hit the ball and sent it flying, making him feel the thrill of baseball _once more-_

A pair of piercing, pitch black eyes that looked far too sharp and dangerous to be coming from a baby.

 _(There. Someone's there.)_

…

 **No. He was gone.**

The crowd was cheering louder, gasping, hollering, but Yamamoto didn't care. His mind was screaming at him, irritation suddenly gone, replaced with sudden chills up his spine. _'Gone! Danger! HIDE! Danger!'_ his mind screamed, alarms in his head going off and his hair rising on his skin. 'Hide?' the dazed boy wonders from the rush of sudden adrenaline. 'But why? He's not even here, and I don't even know who it is.'

And Takeshi thinks that if he should ever meet that person again, he would have reason to be afraid. Though for now, he reckons that he should stick to carrying his bat with him everywhere he goes.

/

Reborn was amused and though he'd never admit it, he was just a tiny bit impressed. For being just a bunch of civilian brats, they really had some sharp senses, huh? Leon flicked his tongue and rumbled, seemingly disapproving of his master's way of testing the Vongola heir's future Guardians. At this, the hitman scoffed and eyeballed his pet. "They're not to be soft, you ridiculous lizard. A Guardian must always be aware of their surroundings in order to protect the Boss, and if they had failed even just that…" Trailing off, Reborn sat down on the branch of a tree he'd chosen in favor of spying on the baseball kid, leaning forwards before staring at the shaken figure of the said kid.

Maybe he'd went too far with the small bit of leaked Killing Intent.

"Although I must say that those three did pretty well in spotting me, eh?" Scratching Leon's head, he hummed in slight satisfaction. "Especially that kid, Yamamoto Takeshi. That boy's got some natural instinct of an assassin. Maybe I could put that to use…"

As he mused, Reborn wondered if it would be all too soon to call in that favor he had hidden away in Italy. Shaking his head, the baby glanced at the sky before looking back at his Sky's potential Rain Guardian. 'No, it'd be best if the boy were to come now. It'd be bad to leave him alone for a long period of time unsupervised, after all. I'd hate to have his sister being annoying afterwards.' Having made up his mind, he murmured a small command, feeling the lizard in his hand transform into a small, green phone.

'Besides,' Reborn thought, searching for the number he wanted. 'This could help Tsuna in his training to become Boss and maybe that boy would be able to find something in Tsuna, too. God knows he needs it anyways.'

Reborn was still watching Yamamoto pack his things when the dial tone clicked, signaling that the other person had picked up.

" _Chi cazzo è questo e come avete avuto il mio numero?_ " Really, this child should learn how to curb that temper of his soon before he got into serious trouble. Not that it was any of Reborn's business, of course.

Choosing to speak in Japanese instead, Reborn teased him. "Feisty as ever, aren't you?"

" _ **Bastard!**_ " Ouch. Eardrums. Though, the Arcobaleno was tempted to snicker at how fast the other had switched his choice in language, if only just to curse him out. "I'd better have an answer in _five_ seconds before I find you and blow your ass up I swear to _**God-**_ "

"Shut up, brat. You're either really stupid or suicidal to have the guts to threaten the Greatest Hitman in the world, huh?" What could he say? He really loved playing around with his sla-students.

The quiet on the other end was somewhat priceless, as usual. "Re-Reborn-san?" came a fearful whisper from the other side of the phone. "I-Is that really you, Reborn-san?"

"It is." Somehow, after hearing that meek tone, bullying the other didn't seem as fun anymore. Sighing, he cut off the boy's sudden onslaught of apologies with a growl. "Stop apologizing, brat. A good Guardian must always own up to his or her actions and back up what they say. Though apologizing is good, learn to man up a little."

 _(Like he was one to talk.)_

"That is sending so many mixed messages, Reborn-san… And 'Guardian'? Reborn-san, what are you talking about? You know that I'm not a Guardian so if this is some kind of silly prank-"

"A ' _prank_ ', Gokudera? Do you really think that I would call you up via _Leon_ just to _play a stupid prank on you_? That I have that much free time as that I would call you just to _joke_ about Guardianship as if it _weren't_ important to you? That I would stoop so low as to _shit_ on your _dreams_?"

"N-no…"

Reborn grunted. "Thought so. Now, let me explain before you jump to any conclusions, you little shit."

/

The bell had rung, finally signaling the long-awaited time of temporary freedom for students from the hell that they call classes. Which, in Sawada Tsunayoshi's case, was practically true.

The whole morning had consisted of him being tripped and pushed around by the usual bullies; though it was much more subtle than usual, it still happened. Not only that, there was the usual hateful whispering, snickering and mocking behind his back, but Tsuna wasn't as worried about that as he was about the teachers calling him out just to 'make an example out of him', apparently.

Right. Like he'd be buying any of their bullshit any time soon.

Yamamoto was worried, of course. He had seen the scratches and scuffle marks on his pants where he'd fallen, and was about to go 'confront' some people when Tsuna managed to talk him into quelling his anger for the time being because really, he didn't need anyone getting hurt on his behalf.

Takeshi hadn't seemed to understand when he'd explained this to him, but he had promised, so Tsuna didn't really dwell much on that topic afterwards.

"Hey Tsuna, wanna go to the roof and have lunch there instead? I can't eat with all these people around me, ya know? It's too noisy. Oh, we can get Onii-san and Hibari-san to join us, too, if you want. Though I think Hibari-san is already there. It's usually his favorite go-to spot in the school, you know? I figured we could all go there and talk while we eat."

Which basically translated into: " _Can we get the fuck out of here before I lose my cool and kill everyone here with a rusty knife? Also, you need to tell us who's picking on you so we can beat the shit out of them afterwards and not tell you about it because you're too cute to be worrying about scum like them."_

Thankfully, Tsuna, being as oblivious as his mother, hadn't picked up on that translation and had accepted it for what it had seemed to be: an invitation to have lunch on the roof. So off they went to find the oldest of the two Sasagawas, which wasn't too hard at all anyways because one would need to be deaf and blind to not notice the very _loud_ and _bright_ presence the other had.

Well, inviting the white-haired boxer had turned out to be easy as the request was accepted almost immediately, with Ryohei claiming that any extreme time spent with his mate was time well-spent.

Of course, a too-humble Tsuna hadn't agreed to that statement, but Takeshi (obviously) had.

They continued on to the roof after that, following Yamamoto's hunch that the prefect was already there. "Say, Tsuna," the boxer had said after a moment, turning to him with a curious look in his eyes. "Kyoko told me that you were the one that made that delicious bento yesterday. Is that true?"

"It is," replied Tsuna, slight hesitation and embarrassment tinging his voice. "I'd thought I'd try searching and asking around for what kind of food each of you liked personally just for fun, but after finding out that you guys had less than healthy habits, I did my best to prepare them as a sort of nutritious yet filling meal so you guys don't have to go starving until recess."

"It worked, I think, but since I couldn't find any information on what you'd specifically like, I made do with the idea of sandwiches. I hope you enjoyed them anyways, Onii-san."

Aside from the booming praises and the tinkling sound of laughter that filled the hall immediately after Tsuna had finished his small explanation, nothing else was heard from the trio as they made their way to the roof.

"Has he told you two?"

It was the first sentence that Hibari had spoken since the moment they'd arrived and frankly, they didn't know if they should be glad that the prefect had spoken to them at all or be wary of the question being asked itself. They decided to go with the latter.

"Who was supposed to tell us what, Hibari-san?" asked Yamamoto bravely.

"Tsunayoshi. He met another soulmate this morning,"

Accompanying that sudden _, totally_ unexpected reveal was the sound of chopsticks clattering noisily to the floor as Yamamoto and Ryohei both looked at a gawking, red-faced Tsuna in surprise, jaws dropping open in shock. Ryohei's sudden energetic shout of "That's _EXTREME,_ Tsuna!" only served to make the said brunet go redder, but bless that boy for trying.

"So the omnivore didn't tell you, then." Was it him, or did Hibari sound like he was gloating? Fortunately, the glare Takeshi sent the smirking prefect was missed only by Tsuna, but Ryohei had caught it and had looked on in interest. "That does means I was the first to know, doesn't it?"

'Oh,' Ryohei had thought, excitement sparking. 'It's an extreme competition.'

"Yeah, well, only because you forced it out of me," grumbled the first-year softly, but definitely loud enough to be heard by the rest of them. The grin on Takeshi's face then was absolutely lethal.

"Yeah, _Number 2_ ," Hibari twitched, and if looks could kill, the other boy would have already been buried six feet under and then some. However, Takeshi only brushed it off, already quickly getting used to the glares. "It's not nice to _force_ people, you know?"

"Herbivore…" the skylark growled, and the tell-tale silvery glint of a tonfa appeared. "I'll bite you to _death_."

And such was the scene to where Reborn came to witness a laughing Yamamoto Takeshi being chased on the roof by one bloodthirsty Hibari Kyoya while Sasagawa Ryohei cheered the both of them on, hollering something about a 'manly competition' with Sawada Tsunayoshi sitting in the back, calling out once in a while to make sure no one was about to get hurt before resuming his role of a confused, worried yet happy audience.

'Really,' Reborn mused from the shadows yet once again, taking in the entire scene. 'You've got quite the Family there, huh, Tsuna? And you're not even a complete set yet.' Focusing onyx eyes on light, golden-brown ones, the hitman smirked.

"Oh, how I do look forward to spending time with you in the future, my dearest Sky."

* * *

 **SO!**

 **Here I am with the new chapter, and I'm really sorry for making you wait. Truthfully, I wanted to post something earlier but I kinda got blocked from my muse and I think its because I work her too much nowadays. But she's back now so no worries.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as you guys did with the previous ones and as usual, thank you guys so much for the lovely comments because they're really part of the main reason why I keep writing. :D You guys are already awesome for keeping someone as lazy as I am motivated enough to complete a story so yeah there's that and I'm embarrassed now so I'll stop.**

 **Also, Yhaelle-chii! Good luck on your preliminary exams, yeah? Wish ya all the best :DDD**

 **Have a nice day/night!**


	12. Chapter 12

Trapped in a sea of people that served as the only obstacle between her and the only exit point in the entire building, Lal was viciously reminded of how much she hated airports. Grunting softly, she once again tried to forcibly shoulder her way through the tight space while trying to be as patient and as polite as possible, muttering absent-minded apologies every now and then-only to wind up almost being knocked over by a woman who was rushing towards her lover.

Huffing angrily at the oblivious woman and frowning at the disgusting display of tears and sudden PDA, it only fueled Lal's desire to just _get the fuck out already_ because this was also another one of the reasons why she absolutely _despised_ airports.

 _Couples._

Aside from the absolute failure from the security guards for crowd control, love-sick, horny couples that acted like the other had just come back from the dead and couples that had no sense of control whatsoever upon seeing the other pissed Lal off faster than Colonello could say 'kora', and while that seemed petty and somewhat concerning, Lal would have none of it.

 _("You're so bitter, kora.")_

 **Bitter.** Gritting her teeth, Lal steeled herself and continued to push on, her irrational fury and desire to just get out guiding her to the entrance, all the while trying to forget the stupid voice in her head. No, she was not 'bitter', thank you very much, and though it used to be a favorite past time for Colonello-and sometimes the other Arcobaleno members-to point out such insultingly false facts about her, she had gladly taken great pleasure in correcting them.

 _("Because Denial is the longest river in Egypt, kora. Face it, you're lonely. We all are.")_

"Oh, just shut the fuck _up,_ God damn it!"

An offended gasp from an elderly woman and a slap over a young girl's ears from a glaring young mother who looked like her dog was just shot right in front of her eyes brought Lal back long enough realize that she had not said that in her head, but in fact had yelled it out loud. Not feeling the least bit remorseful about it, Lal only murmured a half-hearted apology before shouldering her way through once more towards the entrance, now ready to tear everyone in her sight a new one.

By the time Lal was able to reach the entrance, she had already been stopped four times by a guard, two couples and an adult man, all asking if she was lost because being the size of a two year old child made things more difficult than it should be. Piled together with the things that were 'Not Going Well' for her at the moment, it was almost enough to give the Rain Arcobaleno a mental break down because Lal Mirch's idea of a good week was _no_ t to have her past suddenly thrust upon her and forcibly wrestled to the ground while being threatened at what might as well have been at gun point by Reborn over the phone to come to fucking Namimori, only to be almost drowned in an overwhelming amount of people in the goddamned airport, of all places.

And having her fucking _timer_ showing up in the process, too. Now that, Lal could grudgingly admit, was something that she would never have, in a million years, predicted to happen.

Fingers twitching, Lal was tempted to look at her pacifier but decided against it as she remembered the breakdown that happened when she first saw the stretch of numbers etched into the grey surface of her said pacifier. She did _not_ need the reminder that her life was indeed fucked up at this point where she was already irritated, paranoid and just so very, very angry and she really did _not_ need civilians getting injured if she were to really lose it.

But only because the paperwork would be terrible for her, and Lal would rather spend an entire day with Skull than get berated by Iemitsu, of all people.

Getting into a cab, Lal quickly silenced the driver's questions with a thick wad of cash before practically ordering the poor man to drive. "Namimori Shrine," Lal stated quietly, placing her small bag next to her. "And I'm on a timed schedule here so make it fast and get me there as soon as possible."

Because the sooner she got her answers, the easier it would be for her to figure out exactly what the fuck was going on and what would eventually have to go down in Namimori and Lal only prayed that Reborn hadn't gotten them into something that they'd all end up regretting at the end of the day.

/

Thoughts of the Arcobaleno, the pacifiers and the mysterious timer that had no fucking business appearing once again in her already hectic life were still plaguing Lal's mind even as the driver pulled over to a stop at the base of the stairs of Namimori Shrine.

"Thank you." It was the first thing she'd said after the small scene at the airport, even with him trying to start some small talk every now and then. "You're welcome," he replied. He supposed that this was a perfect moment for him to ask her what she was planning to do at a shrine and the reason as to why a two year old child was at the airport alone without a care-taker, but while the driver was honestly curious about this child with peculiar clothing and scars on her face, he knew when to not stick his nose into other people's business.

Especially if that person was an intimidating child carrying a huge wad of cash that she got from God knows where.

'Besides,' he thought as he accepted the wad of cash from an extended hand before waving the child off and pulling into the main road. 'What sort of danger can she get into at a _shrine_?'

Watching the yellow cab slowly disappear after making a few turns, it wasn't until a few seconds later that Lal turned to head up the stairs herself. Throwing and expanding her senses as much as possible without revealing her own presence, Lal tried to search for any recent signs of life by sifting through the air and trying to maybe, even pick up bits and pieces of leaked Flames.

 _(She got nothing, but hey, it was worth a shot at distracting herself.)_

Lal was still making her way up when she finally sensed something, immediately tensing up for a moment before relaxing once again as she felt the familiar, cooling wash of Rain Flames run over her ruffled senses like one would soothe a prickly child.

"What a surprise. That idiot got here earlier than I did."

"Insulting someone that you haven't met for a long time behind their back isn't very attractive, kora." Well, then. "Who said anything about being attractive, you idiot? And you're still my idiotic student even after all that happened, so don't expect any better treatment from me."

A snort came from the blond man that had appeared, and Lal was tempted to roll her eyes at his childish behavior. "I never expected anything to change with you, and well, I suppose that's true for however long until I surpass you, kora." This time, it was Lal's turn to snort. "Not in a million years, dead-beat. You've got to try harder than boasting about defeating me while standing there all dramatic-like with the pose. You're gonna turn into a second Reborn at that rate."

"Hey! That was a low blow, kora," Colonello whined, turning to walk with Lal when she shouldered past him to head into the temple before them. "We all know that Reborn is the ultimate Drama Queen, and I have no intention of being like that asshole in any way."

Humming, Lal didn't deign a pouting Colonello with anymore talk until they reached the altar, choosing instead to cloak the entire compound with Rain Flames and hiding her presence as much as possible. "I assume the others are here already."

"They are," he answered, all traces of playfulness suddenly gone. "Everything's gone to shit, though, kora. It's like the First Day all over again. No one's talking."

"That's normal. But even Skull?"

Colonello nodded. "Even Skull. Or else I'd be inside there kicking his ass for even talking to me, that gofer. Hell, I wouldn't even be here, kora, if we-"

Lal held up her hand, silencing whatever the blond was about to say immediately. "Don't say it out here. Not now." He tilts his head in question, and Lal complies. "Until Reborn tells us what's going on, I don't want to hear a word of what happened. Not the _mafia_ , not the _Pacifier_ , and certainly not whatever this might fucking mean for the _Il Prescetti Sette._ Besides," she says, turning pained eyes to the ground. "I don't think I would be able to hold it in any longer, anyways." The last part was said quietly, and Colonello felt that if they weren't right outside the entrance of their hideout, he and Lal would have had a long talk.

"Alright." He says, and he thinks that he sees Lal's shoulders sag a little for a moment in relief before going back to their usual, alert posture. "But how did you know that the others were already here, kora? I know you can't sense their presence out here."

"Well, _you're_ here, so it's only logical to assume that they must be here already."

"What the hell does that mean, kora? Are you saying that I can't be early? I'll have you know that out of the five of us, you're the last-Kora, Lal, you bitch! Are you even listening to me?!" Lal, in favor of ignoring a spluttering Colonello, had jumped up, bypassing the mist Flamed illusion that made it look like she was jumping straight into the roof atop the altar itself. Colonello soon followed, huffing and muttering something about being taken for granted.

Lal corrected him with a slap upside his head.

Once facing the other members present, Lal was immediately greeted with wary glances and a tensed atmosphere that seemed to bring to life the severity of their situation at hand. The only sign of acknowledgement she got was a polite nod from Fon before they all went back to contemplating whatever it was they had on their mind.

' _Ring-Ding-Ding, guess what it is,'_ came a voice in her head sarcastically _. 'Could it be that they're thinking of how we need a new hiding place other than in a bloody roof of a damn shrine? Oh yes, please, because right now would be the_ _ **perfect time.**_ _'_

"So," Lal said loudly as she took her seat next to a grumpy Colonello, gaining weird looks from the others. "Where's Reborn? Isn't he the one who's always the stickler for being on time?"

"Dunno. The asshole's not here yet, kora."

"Yeah!" Skull chimed, as if he'd just realized this. "He's the one who called us here and yet he's the one who's late! What a waste of the Great Skull-sama's time!" An annoyed grunt came from Colonello and Skull flinched slightly. "Careful, lacky. Not that I care, kora, but you don't wanna let Reborn hear you say that."

"H-hah!" he scoffed, putting on a brave front. "As if the Great Skull-sama is afraid of a slacker like him! The bastard's still late, isn't he?"

"I might be wrong," interrupted Fon, opening one eye and pausing in his meditation. "But while it is unusual, his being late might have something to do with that young charge of his."

"Charge?" Colonello asked, sounding very much surprised. "I wasn't aware that the bastard agreed to babysit another one of those bratty heirs, kora. Didn't his contract with the Cavallone brat just end?"

"It did, but apparently this was called in as a favour. I don't know much about anything else, but you know Reborn is not the one to owe anyone anything, so I guess his pride hadn't let him reject the offer."

"You've certainly done your homework, haven't you, Fon?" Mammon asked suddenly. "Since you've gone this far, mind telling us who this 'young charge' is, then? Surely your 'morals' have nothing against sharing information." The 'child' smiled then, polite yet incredibly condescending at the same time. "Of course not, but I'm afraid that that information isn't supposed to be made privy to others." If Fon had seen the rise of Mist around the other, he had not commented on it. Instead, he continued, ignoring or simply being oblivious to the murderous glare he was receiving. "I've already said enough, anyways. The rest is up to Reborn to disclose, but until then, I have nothing else to say on this matter. Besides, I think that that child has more to do with us than we think, and it would be very unwise of me to just give out information like that."

There was a very long pause before Verde snorted in amusement, drawing the attention to himself. "What a childish suggestion," he said. "Are you saying that a mere child is somehow involved in this mess that we are in without us knowing? And I thought that you were the rational one, Fon, but I see that years of being alone in that dojo of yours has finally made you _snap_ and abandon all thought of a logical explanation."

"Oh, but he is right," squeaked a nasally voice from the entrance, causing Skull to jump in fright and the rest to turn their heads in surprise. "I suggest you put away your prided 'logical explanation', Verde, because as they say in these parts: 'That kind of shit ain't gonna fly here.'"

Ignoring Colonello's dramatic roll of his eyes and his not-so-subtle mouthing of an _"I told you so"_ in Lal's direction, Reborn stepped out of the shadows and tipped his hat in his usual greeting before turning to a scowling Verde with an arrogant smirk.

"Ciaossu."

"H-how long h-have you be-been standing there?" squeaked Skull, sweating profusely in his suit when Reborn turned bemused, pitch black eyes to him. "Oh, just long enough to hear **everything** about how much of a 'slacker' I am," he answered, and Skull felt rather than saw the sadistic glint in the hitman's eyes _shine_. "But I'll deal with that later, so don't even think about _running_ , lackey."

The stuntman could only nod, crushing the desire to do exactly what the other told him _not_ to do.

"Old friend," Fon greeted as he stepped forward, calling for Reborn's attention at the same time. "Do excuse my manners, but you were saying something about me being right in my speculations? I'm sure we would all like some clarifications and hopefully, some solid answers as well on what you mean by that." Reborn looked at Fon then, gaze calculating and somewhat scrutinizing while the other had a polite yet tense smile on his face.

"You know," he said after a moment. "You're going to have to tell me when you go digging in the mafia database the next time, Fon. Vongola won't react as well if they found an outsider in their systems, even if that person is an Arcobaleno."

The martial artist only smiled again, oblivious to the sound of someone choking in the background. "Well, that's only expected. But I'll keep some things to myself, so don't have your hopes up." The hitman only kissed his teeth in irritation as a response before turning to the others.

"Well, seeing as Fon told you guys the gist of what happened, I might as well confirm it with the full story. Three days ago, the Ninth made his choice in who will be the Tenth generation Vongola Boss and had contacted me, asking me to act as this said heir's tutor. Indeed, I accepted it as a favour and imagine my surprise when I saw, not five minutes later after accepting that job, a timer inked into my Pacifier."

"Eventually, after considering the timing of when the timer had appeared and calculating the time frame needed to get to Namimori, I came to the conclusion that yes, as Fon said, the boy has something, if not everything, to do with what happened to our pacifiers."

"And what is that?"

"You're still unable to make the connection, Verde? And I thought you were the smart one here. Or maybe you're just too deep in denial to see it."

"Stop being a drama queen and just tell us already. You're stalling too much and this meeting has already wasted enough of my time as it is."

"You know, insulting me isn't going to get you anywhere-" Everyone seemed ready to cut in at this point. "-but seeing as he's our Sky and, most possibly, our soulmate, I don't see why you wouldn't be finding this out sooner or later."

At that moment, all the air in the room had seemed to be sucked out and silence reigned for a good few minutes as Reborn enjoyed the looks of varying horror, sudden realization and maybe, just a flicker of hope in his fellow Arcobaleno members' eyes as they slowly processed what he had said before snapping out of it.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me, kora."

"I'm not."

"CheckerFace would-"

"-never allow this to happen. And yet it did, and so far he hasn't done anything about it yet, which led me to believe that maybe even the bastard isn't aware of what's going on."

"But the Sky Pacifier-"

"-is not with him. And yet, does that matter? Luce was already fully Harmonized before we met her and it did not trouble any of us that we were not Harmonized to our supposed Sky in the Arcobaleno. Who's to say that we cannot Harmonize with another Sky aside from the one that we were _assigned_ to protect?"

"How did you-"

"-know that the timers would appear on your pacifiers? I didn't. It was a wild guess."

"You can't-"

"-expect you to just accept what I say at face value? Oh, but I do, but either ways, it's your choice if you want to believe me or not because it's only a matter of time before you meet with that student of mine, anyways."

"Can you-"

"-stop doing this? Nah, it's too much fun and its way easier to state what's right before you can confuse the others with what's wrong."

Enjoying the glares that he was getting from Lal, Verde, Mammon and Colonello respectively, Reborn donned another arrogant smirk as he regarded everyone in the room with pitch black eyes. "So. Who else wants to play 20 questions?"

"Actually, I do," said Fon, stepping forward with an amused but curious smile. "How do you know that we are all connected to this boy as his soulmates? Don't get me wrong, I do love the idea of finally Harmonizing with a Sky, but what makes you so sure that it's not someone else in this country?"

"Aside from the fact that I've already tested out that theory and clearly, it didn't work for me? Well, Fon, the boy has _twenty_ timers, and I have managed to memorize each and every one of them."

Again, both the hitman and martial artist ignored the sound of someone choking on their own air supply in the background and the low, impressed whistle that came from Colonello. They were completely ignorant to the sounds of muttering and the scratching of pen on paper, too. "That is an impressive amount of timers," stated Fon.

"I agree." Reborn drawled.

"But it doesn't answer my question."

"Oh, but it does. In case all of you have forgotten, I have a perfect photographic memory and when you all were a little bit emotional there during my very dramatic reveal, your timers were showing themselves. And guess what, Fon?"

The said man was wary of answering, but did anyways. "What is it, old friend?"

Reborn grinned, an unholy aura appearing behind him as he did so. "You're next in line to meet your new Sky."

* * *

 **A/N:** This does not compensate for the fact that I wasn't able to post for 3 months, I know, but I've got a really good reason for it. Of which i posted on my profile so you can go read up there, but for those who I promised I'd update on May 27th, I'm sorry because I was stuck on this story and all I could focus on was getting it done so what you read here might be a little more than rushed, but don't worry it will get edited later on.

Though, I did enjoy writing about the Arcobaleno bantering and I had originally planned to have more depth here, but it didn't fit so keep in mind that there are a few things that will come to light later on if you feel that someone isn't getting enough explanation time now. Also, thank you guys so much for leaving a review, I appreciate it so very, very much because whenever I was stuck I just go back and read the reviews to get some more motivation from you guys and it really,honestly helped me out a lot, so thank you, once again.

 **E.N:** I created a tumblr blog,  mars-take-scribbles, especially for my fic(s) so if you guys want, go drop a PM there or something and feel free to ask me anything you like about the story. And since it's especially for my fic(s) I feel like I should mention that it's barren because it's not my main account so yeah.


	13. Chapter 13

Muscles worked, contracted and pulled, coating Fon's small body with a sheen of sweat as it worked to express its owner's frustration on a worn sandbag that was four times his size.

 _Whap. Thwap._

Controlled, precise movements struck the bag, showing no mercy in their blows.

 _Thwack. Thwack._

Graceful. Elegant. Deadly accurate. Seemingly lazy in their strikes, yet the movements possessed an almost ungodly sense of contrasting violent rigidness behind it.

Unfortunately for him, the flow was bound to be broken, no matter how long he wanted to drag it out.

 _Thump. Thwack._

"Fon," Reborn says, "you're going to damage your fists."

 _ **Thwack.**_

He stops, and for an eerily uncomfortable moment, turns around slowly to face the other in the room.

"If your intention is to mock me, Reborn," says Fon, his tone sharp with an edge, "I must inform you that I am in no mood to participate in any banter for today either."

Reborn says nothing, watching Fon as he finally moves to wipe his sweat and don his red garb. Slowly, his breathing evens out but even Skull would have been able to tell that Fon was still very much upset.

"My apologies," he says after a while, reverting back into the calm character that this storm hides behind. "I did not mean to lash out. It seems like I still need some time to clear my thoughts and sort my… _situation_ out properly. Perhaps meditation will help this time."

 _ **Hide. Find an exit. This is not right.**_

He is stalling for time, subconsciously trying to prevent the conversation to come, and Reborn realizes this.

"Don't be a fool," Reborn says quietly, and then, "you know fairly well that trying to distract me from bringing your so-called 'situation' up won't work. It is in the best interest of my Sky that I am here to tell you that whatever you're thinking shouldn't be affecting your decision to accept Tsuna as he is, anyway. "

"No?" Fon hisses suddenly, and Reborn is tensed because it would not do him well to forget that this man is dangerous even with half his abilities removed. Dangerous even as a friend. "He is a _child_ , Reborn. Barely fifteen years old and barely starting his journey as a prepubescent teen hitting puberty. What part of this does not seem the least bit upsetting to you? Actually, how is this not affecting you at all?"

'Ah, of course,' Reborn thinks then, 'so this is what it's about.'

"Do not make assumptions about me, Fon. You will just come to realize, once you've met him, the steps that I have taken to deal with my concerns." Fon raises an elegant brow at his reveal but wisely chooses to listen when Reborn speaks again. "For what it's worth, you will not be able to help it, you know. Though I haven't tried separating myself from him, I just know that it's been decided by some sadistic God or the universe itself, that he is to be ours to protect."

Fon glares at him, but he shows no sign of backing down from his claim. "You may have insinuated that I was a fool when you walked through those doors, but do not treat me like I am one. I _know_ what it means to have him etched into our pacifiers."

Reborn shakes his head. "I'm well aware that you're no fool, Fon. But as long as you're aware-"

"But I did not say that I will accept him," interrupts the Storm Arcobaleno. He ignores Reborn's tilt of the head, rejecting the warning that it so obviously represented. "He will be my Sky, that much might be true, but…" he breathes deeply, feeling his Flames flare and burn through his veins, "but he will not be my mate."

Fon's tone has a ring of finality to it, and Reborn has never wanted to shoot Fon as much as he did then.

"You would endanger your Sky, risk him to Dissonance?" His voice is low, silky and does the trick of putting Fon on edge. "You would put your selfish, tainted ideals of a soulmate before your Sky?"

"I am not abandoning him, Reborn."

"But you might as well be. Contrary to whatever it is you're thinking, Fon, being a bonded element is as the same as being a soulmate in our case. If you were to go through with this selfishness just because you think he isn't worthy enough-"

"Worthy? He is a child! To have such feelings towards a child, do you feel no shame? Where has your sense of morality gone, to call me selfish and think that I only consider his strength, out of everything?"

They both stop here, glaring at each other, but sudden revelation dawning about what the other was actually thinking of. Reborn speaks first, quiet and a little hesitant, but no less heavier than before. "You speak of his age, not his strength?"

"Unlike you, it seems," quipped Fon, "no wonder you said I would be able to see the effects of the precautions you took when I saw him. Now, with that confusion aside, do you finally understand my concerns?"

"No. I still don't, if I'm honest. If I'm really honest," Reborn says, ignoring Fon's look of irritation and slight disgust, "I just don't really care. Age doesn't really matter when you have been alive after a few centuries, but apparently, you don't share the same sentiments."

"Obviously. I still stand by my decision, however."

At this point, Reborn wants to knock some sense into an unusually stubborn Fon, but refrains as he remembers that their fight could possibly destroy the only hideout they have. He settles for a polite discussion instead.

"As I've said, ours isn't the same as the common people. You could risk Dissonance for Tsuna if you were to deny him this bond, and as his Storm, you understand what it would mean for you as well as the rest of us. I will not allow this."

Fon's shift in form is slight, but it does enough to send the message that one wrong word could send them both careening headfirst into a fist-fight that they would both end up regretting later.

' _So much for being fucking polite,'_ snorts Reborn mentally, annoyed.

"You will not be telling me what to do, Reborn. You might be the strongest out of all of us, but you would be foolish to think you can order me around and have me ask for _permission_ to do as I like."

The hitman decides then, to fuck it and say his piece instead of tip-toeing around the bushes.

"Since when did you develop a morality complex, Fon? If I remember correctly, we were all starving for a Sky, even when we were with Luce. But now that you've got one that you can finally bond with, you're rejecting him? For such a petty issue as age when you know it's far past to be an issue any longer?" Fon opens his mouth to say something, but Reborn isn't done. "You do know that until this curse is unsealed, we're stuck as literal babies for as long as forever, right? This can literally drag on until he's at the age of eighteen, and hell, the legal age of consent in Japan is fucking thirteen. So the way I see this, the only ones losing out here is _us_ , not Tsuna."

Fon does not say anything for a long moment, then, "You're crass. Disgustingly, uncommonly so."

"But I am right," Reborn counters, "I do draw the line at thirteen being the age of consent, though, in case you're having any doubts. I just want you to know that you're being ridiculous. The bond between a Sky and his element is not to be trifled with."

Still, he shakes his head, sagging slightly as if the fight has been drained out of him. "Say what you want about everything that I already know. Of course, as an element, I will do my best to fulfill my roles, but physical intimacy with my Sky as a child… that's where I draw the line. Do respect that."

As Fon moves to gather his belongings, Reborn thinks this over again, and he weighs these decisions carefully this time. If he really tried, he supposed that he could understand Fon's concerns, but he couldn't understand why Fon seems to think that Tsuna would stay a child forever. In three years' time, he would turn eighteen, wouldn't he? By then, who knows if the curse would have been broken or not, but it seemed highly unlikely at this point, so they wouldn't be aging anyways. Even if it weren't, they could use their Life Flames, and though risky and reckless, it seems worth it if it was to spend some much needed time with their Sky. Could Fon not understand that if they started bonding now, which is bound to happen soon anyway, the absence of intimacy between Sky and element could prove disastrous to both parties? It would be like drawing water from a puddle for the both of them eventually: painful and ineffective as a relationship, thus forming Dissonance between the two.

With this, Reborn could only think up of one solution.

"Tell him."

Fon startles, looking at Reborn with surprised eyes. "What?"

"Tell him about your decisions, Fon. He might be fifteen, but he's not as much as a child as you think he might be."

A pause. "That… is comforting to hear. I guess it would make sense, anyway. He is my Sky after all."

Reborn would admit later that he was also counting on Tsuna to change his mind, but for now, he would agree with what Fon thought was his duty to do. He decides that it would set him at ease to caution Fon a little more, too.

"Don't fuck this up, Fon. I only hope you realize the effects of your stubbornness before it's too late, and if I so much as see the signs of Tsuna suffering because of your actions, you better be ready to get shot to hell and back."

The temperature in the room drops like a rock, and Fon dons a faux smile as he turns to face Reborn from the door. Neither of them moves.

"Of course, not that I would deliberately hurt my Sky," he says, eyes becoming mere slits as he spoke, "but you can most certainly try."

* * *

Tsuna was, in every sense of the word, nervous.

Sitting in front of Reborn, he couldn't help but wring his hands and pluck at his nails, fidgeting and sometimes even flinching from small movements. Even the cup of tea Nana gave him wasn't spared from his twitching fingers.

And it wasn't because of Reborn, no. It was because of the ringing in the back of his mind, the small voice that he remembered Reborn telling him to always listen to. But what on earth could that voice be trying to tell him?

"What's wrong, Tsuna?" Glancing up from his cup, he couldn't help the small sag in his shoulders as he felt some of the tension being released at Reborn's concern. Really, he was glad that Reborn was asking him things nicely now, instead of shooting at him to get information out of him.

"Well, something just doesn't seem right," says Tsuna slowly, "my 'Intuition' is acting up and it's kinda making me nervous." He frowns then, and peers suspiciously at Reborn, who was innocently sipping from his cup of tea. "You don't happen to have anything to do with it, do you?"

Reborn hums, flicks Leon's tail in retribution for biting his finger, and says "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tsuna sighs, and accepts the fact that yes, nothing pleasant will be coming out from any big event to come now. After a week of living with the child, Tsuna thinks that he's experienced enough with his antics to know what's about to happen. Jolting up suddenly, he narrows his eyes as he remembers the only 'big' event about to happen.

' _He wouldn't, would he?'_

"Say, Reborn," calls Tsuna innocently.

"What is it?" replies the hitman, probably already aware of Tsuna's realization of his meddling in his affairs.

"Since the incident with you, I've made some effort to keep track with my timers, yeah? And although I still don't fully believe that all of them would turn up, I still hold hope for them as my soulmates. You know this, right?"

Reborn continues to sip from his cup before nodding sagely.

"Right, so do I have reason to believe that you didn't interfere with the next meeting with my soulmate?"

Tsuna hates how Reborn doesn't even twitch, but instead there is a small smirk present that he could barely catch.

"Why, you're getting more perceptive, Tsuna," says Reborn, clearly amused, "if I did, it's clearly with my best intentions in mind, so trust me a little, okay?"

' _Oh he would. He_ _ **did**_ _.'_

"Is that why you're waiting with me now? Because you know that one of my timers are about to run out?"

Tsuna swears that he's about ready to cry when Reborn says nothing, choosing to drink more tea instead. Did they even have that much tea in the first place? Tsuna wouldn't know, because dealing with Reborn required his full attention lest he miss something and regret it later.

"Tsuna, you remember what I've told you about the bonding between a Sky and his Elements, yes? And what it means to have your Elements bonded to you the way yours are? What is required of the relationship on both parties?"

The pouting student perks up a little at the sudden questions before blushing a deep shade of red as he remembered _exactly_ what Reborn had said about his situation.

"I remember," he mumbles, "but I still don't get it. Mafia? Flames? Elements? Dissonance? All I really got to know from what you've told me is that I'm the next heir to a big-shot mafia Family, which I still don't agree on, and if I don't have… intimate relationships with my 'partners', they'll suffer and so will I."

"That's because it's more than physical intimacy, Tsuna. Your Flames will need to resonate and Harmonize with your Elements, thus the 'physical' part. It builds trust and strengthens your bonds with each other. Without it, both sides will suffer from the lack of 'bonding' and that's what we call Dissonance. And trust me, when that happens, it's not going to be pretty for either one of you."

They're both quiet, one in deep contemplation and the other patiently waiting. Finally, Tsuna speaks up, though his face significantly a darker shade than before. "Y-you said you were my Sun, didn't you? Does that… does that mean eventually I'll have to sleep with you, too?"

Reborn snorts. "Eventually, yeah."

"But how?" exclaims Tsuna, obviously more than a little panicked, "You're just a child! You're barely two, aren't you? I don't want to get charged with pedophilia at the age of fifteen! And having s-sex-!"

"Calm down, Tsuna. I've told you that in my case, its more complicated than that. Who knows, maybe you might not ever get to sleep with me, but I'll be sure to find a way to spend some time with you before that happens."

"What does that even mean?"

"Anyways, just remember what I've told you when you meet your next soulmate, okay?"

"Reborn-"

" _Okay_?"

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Tsuna only nods, not wanting to give Reborn the satisfaction of actually replying. "But you'll have to tell me sooner or later, you know."

Reborn snorts again. "I'll deal with that when the time comes. For now, just remember what I've said."

* * *

It is 4.30 in the afternoon when there is a knock on the door, and Tsuna immediately feels the alarms in his head go haywire. Though not forebodingly, it was enough to confirm his suspicions on who it was on the other side of the door.

"Go on, Tsuna," says Reborn, still seated at the table. "Answer the door."

He rises from his chair and with a glance at the timer on his right forearm to double-check, Tsuna makes his way over to the door with Reborn's advice—and more than a little anticipation in mind.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **A whole lotta shit went down, and there was originally more that was to be revealed in this chapter, but I figured I've kept you guys waiting long enough.**

 **Enjoy now!**


End file.
